


Feathers And Claws

by RedheadedSuperhero



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alpha Dean Winchester, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Alternate Universe - Werecreatures, BAMF Castiel (Supernatural), BAMF Dean Winchester, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Multi, Omega Castiel (Supernatural), POV Castiel, Prince Castiel (Supernatural), Rebel leader Dean, different animals, travelling and camping
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:15:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 57,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23631472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedheadedSuperhero/pseuds/RedheadedSuperhero
Summary: Prince Castiel, royal omega and nephew of King Michael, had only recently started to notice how much his people were suffering from the iron rule of his uncle. There was even a part of him that sympathised with the rebels, a small group of commoners who tried to overthrow the royal family. That is, until Castiel gets abducted by said rebels. There is also that problem that Castiel himself is part of the hated noble class.But as Castiel gets to know them, he has to admit that the rebel leader Dean, his brother Sam and their comrades follow a noble cause. All too soon it is time for Castiel to make a decision – he needs to choose between an easy life full of courtly amenities – or doing the right thing for his people. By betraying his king.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 280
Kudos: 350





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, lovely readers! I have finally found some time to write another long-ish story. It’s got noblemen, a rebellion – and shapeshifters. I know that not all the rules of this world are explained in the first chapter, but we’ll get there. (Like all my work, the beginning is exposition-heavy enough. Sorry about that. I hope it’s not too boring.)  
> I like to think that this story has a little bit of plot, but it is a romance first and foremost. What I am trying to say is: I know it is all unrealistic and somewhat naïve. There will be some planning to overthrow the king, tough, and lots of Spn-characters (because I love healthy relationships with a solid network of friends and family on top of romantic spouses), but the focus is on Dean and Cas. I hope you’ll enjoy!

**FEATHERS AND CLAWS**

ONE

_Stay calm._

The familiar voice offered him some solace. At least he was not alone in this, in a way. It was not often that his Other spoke to him directly, and when it did, Castiel tended to listen. He took in some shallow breaths – the cloth over his head had turned damp and breathing had become a bit difficult during the last hour, but not so much that Castiel feared he might suffocate. The bag did not only hinder him from taking deep breaths, though – it was also the reason why Castiel could not see anything; even his hearing and sense of smell were muffled. The fact that his hands were tied together at his back did not make him any happier.

>>><<<

His day had already started badly.

Right after breakfast, which he had at least been granted to enjoy alone in his chambers, Michael presented him with yet another alpha he was supposed to marry. Obviously, Castiel’s uncle, the King of Niebo, did not believe the stories about the _Curse of the Royal Omega_ – no matter what Castiel did to spread those rumours. He himself did not believe he was cursed, either – both Zachariah and Uriel, formerly betrothed to him, had been violent alphas. Zachariah had even been in the middle of a war. It was not _Castiel’s_ bad karma that was responsible that they had not lived long enough to attend their own marriage ceremony – it was their own. And now Michael had found another alpha for Castiel to marry. Crowley seemed the best option yet, compared to Zachariah and Uriel, but Castiel had never met the man himself and could only judge from hearsay. And even the nicest tales still painted the Lord of Hell as a choleric egomaniac with expensive tastes. Not exactly the type of alpha Castiel would have chosen for himself.

After the nice conversation about his new engagement – which was not so much a _conversation_ as it was Michael talking and giving orders – Castiel found out about the celebration. His uncle would turn 50 winters in six weeks’ time and decided this called for a big feast to be attended by all nobles in his realm. Castiel gritted his teeth while Michael told him what he expected Castiel to do to help his aunt organising this celebration on rather short notice – invitations needed to be written and sent out as soon as possible, a massive amount of food and wine needed be ordered and processed. Musicians and great chefs needed to be found. Michael himself would oversee games and tournaments for the nobles and his son that sounded rather excessive. Castiel weakly interrupted that a feast like this would be very expensive. But Michal replied nonchalantly: “I believe we should make the commoners give up a sixth of their possessions to the crown. As a present to their beloved king. It will make them better people to show solidarity towards their rightful leader.”

Castiel could just stare at his uncle, who still seemed oblivious to his people’s suffering. Or maybe he just did not care. Which was, if nothing else, stupid. As far as Castiel was informed, the number of rebels increased with every day, so much so that they might be about to start a grand revolution against the nobility – with most of the commoners on their side rather than Michael’s. And it would certainly not placate them in any form if the whole palace celebrated the king’s anniversary with tons of food and expensive wine, while their people hardly had enough to feed their own families. Castiel cautiously tried to reason with Michael, and ignored his own looming wedding, because he knew it was dangerous enough to contradict Michael on _one_ topic, let alone two. But the Alpha King remained strict and gave his usual speech about how they were just following the order of the Great Shifter – it was destined that the nobility ruled the common folk. For they could change form like the Great Shifter himself and everyone else needed to bow towards their superiority. That was the law of nature.

Castiel knew there was no point in arguing when Michael was in that kind of mood. At least he was usually more approachable than his son Lucifer.

Castiel had to admit, though, for the longest time of his life, he had been convinced of the same principles as the rest of the nobility. He liked to think that he had never noticed how extensive the disparity among his people was, because he had hardly met anyone outside his close circle of family members and personal servants.

But he had never truly given it any thought either. He had always known that Michael was harsh and his punishments were unduly, but he had also always believed that some form of penalty was necessary. He had never really looked closely at those supposed crimes though.

And he had believed that the nobility was --- special. That they were indeed favoured by the Great Shifter. Why else had so many of them a Second Skin? Hardly any commoners could change form. And those – very few – who had the blessing of the Other Skin, needed to join Michael’s army. Which was an honoured profession after all.

It had taken a plain scribe in shabby clothes to get him to open his eyes. Bobby, he had called himself. A simple name for a simple man. Castiel rarely dealt with commoners who did not live inside the palace walls, but that day he had handled the correspondence of his sickly aunt – and he had wanted to secretly send out a letter to Gabriel, which was always tricky with crown servants. So Castiel had met with a scribe he had never seen before. He had made a remark about the calloused fingers of the man, unusual for someone who traded in quills and paper, of so Castiel thought. The man had grumbled something about how writing did not pay enough to feed a mouse, and Castiel had been surprised – just as much at the harsh tone as the words itself. “I thought commoners had all guaranteed incomes in their assigned units,” Castiel had said, quite naively, as he now thought. “The king’s system is supposed to work flawlessly.”

And the beta had responded: “Then look closer.”

The words had somehow troubled him, but Castiel might have soon forgotten about the strange exchange, if his Other had not repeated the same words in his sleep that night: _Look closer_.

Castiel had tried. He had talked to some trusted servants. He had even occasionally sneaked out into the towns and villages in his Second Skin. And now Castiel had a better idea of what the common people in his kingdom were suffering through. They had hardly enough to eat. Strong regulations made sure they could not move outside their units. They had no rights against the nobility and were often killed for offending the Alpha King for simple mistakes. Or desperate acts.

But Castiel had also heard about a group of rebels, who constantly attacked the guards in small ways. They repeatedly stole from the palace harvest stores and distributed the treasures of bread and potatoes among the people. Castiel had heard rumours about the rebel leader, and some secret camp where fugitives would find shelter. There had even been some attempts to assassinate Michael. Even though they had never succeeded, they still seemed to spread hope.

This scribe he had met, who had opened Castiel’s eyes to the suffering of his people, was probably a rebel himself. And Castiel should have reported him immediately, so he could get arrested and executed for defying the crown. But Castiel hadn’t reported him, which might turn out to be just as dangerous for him if anyone ever found out about their conversation.

Castiel was not a rebel. He could not be even if he wanted to – he was the very thing those rebels were fighting against. A nobleman. But hardly so. He was an omega, which meant he had no say in his life’s decisions. Castiel used to complain about it a lot, in the safe circle of his cousin Hannah and his governess, two of the three people he had ever loved. But now, Castiel’s point of view had changed. At least he had enough to eat, and a soft bed to sleep in. Michael might not treat him with the respect he wanted, but at least Castiel was never mistreated physically.

He had no intentions to overthrow the king, but he had found out he could do little things.

So, right after his conversation with Michael about his betrothal and the planned birthday celebration, Castiel tried to find a way to get some of the goods for the kingly feast to the common people. Not for the first time in the last couple of months, Castiel put on simple clothes he had snitched from the servant’s quarter and rubbed some horrible stink of the stables on his neck and wrists – an omega walking around unaccompanied would always attract attention.

And then he sneaked out of the palace in search of Balthazar.

But he had hardly left the gate behind him, when something hit his head and his world turned black. When he regained consciousness, he had a bag over his head and been thrown sideways over a horse, while someone held him down with enough force that Castiel could hardly move. He even felt something cold around his wrist and he imagined it was a silver bracelet, to prevent him from changing form. His abductors were not stupid.

But what did they want with him?

>>><<<

Castiel believed that his capturers were three men; one alpha and two betas. He could not be sure, though. Two had talked occasionally, so there was at least more than one. But by the time someone pulled him from the horse, he heard more voices and footsteps around. Castiel assumed he was brought into some kind of village or camp. He smelled dried ash from fireplaces. But before he could concentrate more on his new surroundings, he was dragged away by a tight grip on his arm. His own two feet hardly managed to carry him in his state of angst. And it was not exactly easy to follow someone when he could not even see. But his attackers did not seem to sympathise.

“Keep up!”

A hard elbow landed in Castiel’s side, and the omega let out a pained grunt.

“I can’t wait to see their faces when they recognise whom we have caught.” The words were clearly not addressed at Castiel, but it added to his assessment of the situation. He was convinced that his kidnappers were part of the rebels – they had said enough about noble blood to make at least obvious that they were commoners, who hated the Alpha King very much. And for some reason, they had captured Castiel – but the omega had a feeling that his kidnapping had not been planned.

“I’m still not sure about this, Gordon. Dean said we should scout for more ways in and out of the palace. He didn’t say anything about kidnapping someone.” It was the other voice Castiel had heard multiple times on their journey. This man sounded uncertain and intimidated.

“But he did not know that kidnapping the Crown Prince would be so easy. Our leader will be very pleased with us.” The word _leader_ had sounded like a sneer, Castiel noticed. That might be interesting. But something else was preoccupying his mind.

Castiel stumbled and nearly fell to the ground. _Crown Prince_? He was not the Crown Prince. Castiel’s fear turned to panic. Before, he had assumed his attackers planned to get ransom for him – even though _Castiel_ was not sure if Michael would pay them, or just use this excuse to pursue the rebels with more brutality than before. But now that they even had the wrong prince…

What would they do to him when they found out?

 _Calm_ , the Other repeated. And Castiel tried to get his breathing back under control.

There were some shouts about “What is going on?” and “Who is that?”, but his captors just kept going, dragging Castiel with them.

Castiel heard some ruffling and was pulled tighter against the captor who still had a death grip on his arm. In such proximity, Castiel was sure that at least this one was an alpha. The man’s repugnant smell told him enough.

They eventually stopped, and Castiel assumed he was in some sort of tent, or a simple cabin. He could still hear people chattering and laughing outside, but muffled down enough that no words could be made out.

“Gordon? What’s going on?” came a deep voice. Male, confident.

“Who is that?” Another man, sounding incredulous. “And why is he bound?”

“What have you idjits done now?” Male again, and definitely impatient.

“I know we were supposed to stay hidden and observe the palace gates, alpha, but there was a possibility opened to us that we will likely never get again. We saw Prince Lucifer himself walk out of the palace gates, alone and unarmed. So we brought him to you.”

“What?” The incredulous second man again.

“And who came up with that stupid idea?” The third man sounded even more brisk than before.

“Gordon, of course. He is in charge as he told us multiple times today.” It was a voice Castiel had not heard before – he assumed it was the third person he could somehow feel but never hear. He was surprised it was a woman’s voice, though.

Castiel felt someone close in front of him, but he could not tell if it was one of his captors or one of the new men. Then suddenly the cloth was pulled off his head, and Castiel blinked a few times – wherever he was, there was no bright light in the room, but his eyes still needed a few moments to adjust. He glanced around as inconspicuously as he could before he fixed his gaze on the man in front of him.

He seemed to be in some form of tent, big enough to hold various pieces of furniture and a at least a dozen men would fit inside comfortably. Like he had expected, there were six people in the room. The alpha with the horrible stench was still on his right side, holding his arm tight enough to leave bruises. Behind him were a young woman and a lanky man with a nose too big for his face. Castiel assumed those three were his kidnappers. The tall man in front of him was so close that Castiel could only see two figures behind him, but could not get a good look at their faces.

Castiel breathed in deeply. Alpha. But he would have guessed that anyway. There was some authority in those green eyes that reminded Castiel of Michael or Lucifer. But the stranger’s scent was not as obnoxious. If Castiel were not in a panic that his life might end any moment, he would probably call the scent even pleasing. But the look in the alpha’s eyes was hard as he assessed Castiel’s figure.

Then suddenly, the stranger stepped closer and gripped the back of Castiel’s head. Castiel wanted to fight back as his neck was bared, but with his hands tied to his back, there was nothing he could do. Not that he would have had any chance against that alpha anyway. Close combat was not one of his strengths and the alpha had to be much stronger than him.

When Castiel’s neck was exposed, the stranger leaned in closer and basically ran his nose along Castiel’s soft skin. Castiel’s heartrate increased, and he almost fainted in panic.

Would the stranger bite him? And if so – was he aiming for a kill or would he claim him?

But he thought that Castiel was Lucifer, and an alpha could not claim another alpha…

 _Calm_ , the Other said again, telling him he was not alone once more.

The alpha stepped back as abruptly as he had gripped the omega, and Castiel let out a relieved sigh.

“This is not Lucifer. He doesn’t even _look_ like him.” The alpha turned his cold eyes to the man who still held Castiel’s arm. He let go of him immediately though, clearly in shock, and ducked his head. But the alpha who Castiel assumed he was the leader of the group was not placated. “He is not even an alpha, Gordon. You abducted some poor omega. You probably almost killed him from fear alone.”

Castiel raised his chin involuntarily – he was not as fragile to die so easily. But he was involuntarily impressed that the alpha had noticed anything in his scent but dung. On the other hand, they did not yet know who he truly was, and the alpha seemed quite discontented with the abduction of an innocent omega, so maybe there was a way out of this for Castiel. He just had to pretend he was some simple servant, with a favourable attitude towards the rebels.

“But that can’t be true, Dean! Our informant said this was the prince. She said Lucifer was expected to ride out this afternoon. And then when he came out alone… We thought it was an easy catch.”

“Actually, you were the only one who thought this was a good idea, Gordon. I remember trying to talk you out of this – and poor Garth here was a nerve wreck the whole way back.”

Castiel turned his head a little to the side, trying to watch his abductors closer. He was surprised to notice that the young woman was an alpha. Partly because there were not that many alphas around, and even fewer of them were female. But he didn’t have to talk. _He_ was a male omega.

The girl certainly seemed to enjoy the discomfort of the man named Gordon. Castiel would not be the one to feel sorry for him.

Gordon bristled and clenched his hands into fists – a common reaction of alphas under stress. They always prepared for a fight rather than an argument.

“But Rowena said he is the prince! And she must know.”

Dean stepped a little away from Castiel, so he could stare down Gordon. Which made the path free for Castiel to get a look at the other men. One was tall and not close enough to smell, but his stature seemed to be of an alpha’s. The other one --- Castiel knew him.

“Oh balls. It _is_ the prince. Just not the one you thought it was,” the scribe said.

“But… Rowena…” Gordon frowned, looking like he was trying to remember the exact words of his informant.

The blond woman chuckled, and the lanky man, Garth, murmured: “Well, you know, Rowena never said he was _Lucifer_. She just said: Look, the royal prince is all alone! And then you…”

“Yes, I know what I did then,” the alpha growled. “But why would an omega prince go out of the gates, looking and smelling like that. And Lucifer is known for his games with the common folk.”

Castiel felt a shiver run down his back. He had heard about that, too. Lucifer would walk among the town’s people like one of them, get them to say something incriminating against nobles – and then have their heads cut off. It was some sort of hobby to him.

There was a pause long enough that Gordon looked like his defence had worked, so he continued: “And I really thought it was best for all our interests…”

“Enough!” the alpha, Dean, roared. He stared Gordon down until the man dropped his eyes to the ground. He tried to resist, Castiel could see that from the sneer on his face, but the other alpha was more dominant. “Let’s say this,” Dean tipped his head into Castiel’s direction, which made the omega twitch involuntarily, “is Lucifer. It would still have been wrong to bring him here. Your orders were to watch, not to engage. And everyone here follows my orders. What you did was reckless and dangerous, for all of us. I sent Claire and Garth with you, assuming this would be a safe job.”

“Hey! I can do dangerous missions! You just never let me…,” the woman interrupted, but she was silenced after another glare from Dean.

“You brought a royal prince into this camp, doesn’t even matter which one, and by that you have probably led a whole army towards us.” It felt like all the air was suddenly sucked out of the room, the tension was so tight. Even Gordon paled. “We can only hope that we have found shelter in one of our safe places before the first scouts find us.” He let his words sink in for a moment, then he shouted: “Benny! Jody!”

The entrance to the tent was pulled apart and a man and a woman entered.

The man asked: “Yes, brother?”

“Gordon will help in the kitchen indefinitely. I want you to keep an eye on him. Wouldn’t want him to get any ideas to forsake our good cause all of a sudden.”

Gordon bristled again, and looked like he was ready to attack someone. But in the end, he followed Benny outside, with a sneer in Castiel’s direction. Like any of this was his fault.

“Jody,” Dean said, his tone a lot warmer than before. But Castiel could not say if this was because he liked the woman so much, or because Gordon had left the room. “I need you to organise a quick relocation.” He glanced briefly at Castiel, who could well live without all the attention. Sorting his mind was hard enough. “We should probably go take the red route.”

Castiel assumed that was some encryption for his sake. It somehow made him feel better. If they planned to kill him, there would be no need in hiding anything from him.

Jody made to walk out, but at the entrance she hesitated. She looked at the blond woman, then at Dean. “Problems?”

“No. From what I heard, Claire had just been following the orders of a superior.”

“Now that’s a first,” Jody mumbled as she walked out.

There was some chuckling in the room and Claire yelled: “Mom!”

“I think you came off easy,” Dean said to Claire. “You and Garth should probably go help Jody with the preparations. I want to start moving in an hour.”

The rest of Castiel’s kidnappers stepped through the canvas, and Dean let out a long breath. He rubbed a hand over his face like he tried to deal with an inner battle. The atmosphere in the room was different now. Dean seemed more relaxed, and the other two as well, even though they were all still stressed.

Castiel could imagine. He had not seen how many people were out there, but even if it was a small number, moving them so quickly could not be easy. And then there was the problem of having a kidnapped prince in their midst.

And sure enough, Dean looked straight at him and said: “What are we going to do with you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have currently written 9 chapters (in dire need of some more editing) and I made a crude draft for the rest of the story. Which means: I am confident I will be able to finish Feathers And Claws. I try to update once a week in the beginning, but please be warned that it might/will take longer for the later chapters! I guess the wordcount will end up somewhere between 50 and 70k.
> 
> Thank you for reading! <3


	2. Chapter 2

TWO

Dean looked at Castiel and said: “What are we going to do with you?”

Castiel had to admit it was a good question – one he wanted to have answered as well. Preferably in a way that didn’t result in his imminent death. Dean abruptly turned towards his companions; he obviously expected _them_ to come up with a solution. The alpha himself seemed at a loss.

Castiel thought this was the right moment to present a satisfying option for all of them. “If you would just lend me a horse to go back to the palace, I won’t tell anyone about what happened.”

Dean let out a humourless laugh. “Yeah, sure. We let you go and you’ll forget all about this secret rebel hide-out.”

“I mean it. I promise.” Then he added, because he hoped this would convince the alpha: “It would only get _me_ into trouble as well if I told Michael that I left the palace grounds.”

There was a moment of silence, but it didn’t look like Dean even heard him. He was just staring ahead broodingly.

“You know, Gordon was right about one thing. Why _did_ you dress up like that and rub yourself in … what seems to be… stable dung?” It was the tall man who spoke. Until now, he had been very quiet, so Castiel had not paid much attention to him. He had dismissed him as some muscle to protect the leader of the rebels, but now Castiel really looked at him and breathed in deeply. He almost yelped in surprise. This giant was an omega.

Three pairs of eyes were directed at him, and Castiel hardly remembered the question he had been asked. By an omega. But it seemed like Bobby the scribe as well as Dean the alpha expected him to answer nonetheless.

“Well, kid? What made you leave? As far as I know the royal omega is not allowed outside the palace grounds. Much less on his own.” Bobby still sounded impatient. And he had not yet indicated in any way that he remembered Castiel.

“I… ah…” Castiel was fairly sure no one in this room would believe him, if he told them he had been looking for the merchant Balthazar to make plans about sharing food for Michael’s celebration with the common people. “Sometimes I sneak out. To walk around the town. The palace can get … stuffy,” he ended weakly.

All three men raised their eyebrows; it was obvious that neither believed him. Castiel admitted it had been a pathetic attempt to explain his appearance.

“Oh!” Dean suddenly exclaimed. “You’re having an affair.” He then chuckled – the idea seemed to amuse him. “This is probably your kind of adventure. Sneaking out of the castle and meeting with that pretty lad from the bakery. Or is it some soldier you watched from afar while he was training in the courtyard?”

Castiel blushed deeply under Dean’s measuring look – the fact that he sometimes _had_ watched Michael’s soldiers train did not help. But the idea that he could be having an affair was laughable; the alpha however seemed convinced. He even waggled his eyebrow, which made the omega even more self-conscious. Castiel considered if he should just agree anyway – at least then the rebels might understand why he would never talk to Michael about this mess.

“Don’t be stupid, Dean.” It was the giant again. And Castiel’s eyes widened involuntarily. Had this omega just called the alpha _stupid_? “He is a Royal Omega. Having an affair would not be a petty adventure, it might as well be his death sentence.”

“Why? No one would notice unless he’s pushing out some royal bastards in nine months.” Dean shrugged. “And he’s not in heat.”

The giant rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Royal omegas need to be pure before they marry, Dean. An affair is not a trifle thing for the nobility – it would be considered a great insult towards his future mate if the omega is not a virgin when they enter matrimony. They might even start a war.”

“That’s stupid,” Dean scoffed. While Castiel could feel his face heat up even further as they so leisurely discussed his sexual experience.

“Sam’s right,” Bobby said. He walked over towards Castiel and pulled a knife out of his waistbelt. Castiel stumbled backwards. Maybe he should have told the truth after all. But he did not get very far before Bobby gripped his arm and cut the rope that bound Castiel’s hands together. Unfortunately, the silver wristband stayed on. No chance for a quick escape in his Second Skin – even though it would have still been difficult to get away while they were inside. Maybe they feared he would turn into a mouse and could hide in a heartbeat.

Castiel let out a sigh and circled his shoulders; having his hands bound behind his back had him ache in all kinds of places. Not to mention that he had then been thrown over a horse.

“Sit down, Castiel.”

Castiel eyed the beta warily, but he sat down on a table and was surprised when Dean poured some wine into a cup and handed it to him. “Here. You can probably use some… _Castiel_ , is it?” Then Dean pulled out another flask from under the table and drank a deep gulp himself. It seemed to be something stronger than wine.

“Now tell us the truth,” Bobby said. He looked sternly at Castiel, who let out a defeated sigh.

“I was on my way to meet with a merchant in town. My uncle is planning a big celebration next month, and I thought that maybe… some of the food could be distributed to the town’s people. In small amounts so it would hardly be noticeable.”

There was a moment of stumped silence. Then Dean started laughing. He did not need to say anything; Castiel was sure the alpha thought he had just made that story up. Just like how _stuffy_ the palace was. Castiel got annoyed, and desperate.

“We’ve done it before!” He cried defensively. “Last Weaver’s Day.”

Dean stopped laughing. “You honestly think we would believe that?”

“I would.”

It was Bobby who had spoken, and he watched Castiel closely. Then he turned to Dean. “We have met before. The Royal Omega and I.”

Dean raised an eyebrow. “And you could not be bothered to mention this sooner?”

Bobby let out a grunt that could mean anything, at least to Castiel. But Dean seemed placated.

The beta looked at Castiel again. “I told you to look closer. I suppose you did.”

“Yes,” Castiel replied. “But there is not much I can do. I’m sorry.”

“What is this merchant’s name?” Dean asked, seemingly more open to Castiel’s story now that Bobby had vouched for him.

Still, even though Bobby seemed to believe him, that was obviously not true for all of them.

“Balthazar.” Castiel hoped this would not get his companion into trouble.

Sam and Dean looked at each other, and there seemed to be some silent conversation between the two men that Castiel could not follow. After a nod from Dean, Sam left the tent without another word.

Dean sat down at the table, opposite of Castiel. Bobby pulled out a chair at the far end.

“So… you want to help the rebels?”

Castiel blinked rapidly. He had not said anything like that, had he? He might have felt some sympathies for their cause, but there was still a long way to actively help them. But maybe, if they believed he was on their side, they would let him go.

“Uhm…” Castiel replied, like an elaborate genius.

“You did say you’re sorry you cannot do more. But you could. Having a spy inside the palace, someone noble at that, could help us a great deal. You could work as an informant for us.”

What had he gotten himself into? Dean could not be serious about that. Working as a spy for the rebels – the mere idea was laughable.

“And you would trust me with that task?”

Dean chuckled. “No, probably not.” The alpha relaxed slightly, and Castiel thought this had been some sort of test. He assumed Dean would be more suspicious of him if he had just agreed than he was with his disbelief. “I’m just trying to figure out what we should do with you.”

“Like I said. Give me a horse, and we can all forget this ever happened.”

“Or maybe we could just take this bracelet off you, and then you might get away without us having to sacrifice such a valuable animal.”

It was a pretty transparent attempt to find out if Castiel had a Second Skin. Nearly half of the nobility could change into a specific animal, another grace from the Shifter. Michael was a stag, as was widely known. A majestic animal, befitting for a king. Lucifer, the heir to the throne, could change into a massive boar. Less majestic maybe, but the brute force of his second nature seemed to fit him well enough.

For those who could shapeshift, alphas would mostly turn into something brawny and big. The strength, they could even borrow in their human form. They could also stay in their animal form for a whole day if needed – most betas had to change back after a few hours. Castiel, as an omega, had only made it a little over an hour in his longest try – which had made observing the common folk of Niebo rather difficult, because he had to be back in his room before the time was up.

Betas could mostly shift into something fast and inconspicuous. For example, Hannah, Lucifer’s sister and the only person whose company Castiel really enjoyed, was a doe. And for omegas, as far as Castiel knew – there weren’t that many omegas in his family – they supposedly changed into something small and easy to hide. Samandriel, the only shifter omega in the castle Castiel knew, was a hedgehog. But there were always those animals that did not really seem to fit their designations. Gabriel, Michael’s brother, could shift into a rabbit – which would be more suitable for a beta than an alpha. And Castiel’s own Second Skin was quite unusual as well.

Many shifters liked to keep their other form a secret, though. Castiel had once been engaged to Zachariah, who supposedly had been a shifter but did not like his opponents to know what he could morph into. Castiel was not convinced it was true. Maybe he simply had no Second Skin and did not want people to know – but for some, it _was_ a very personal subject. Gabriel usually tried to hide his Second Skin from the public. And Castiel’s own animal form was not known outside of his own family. Most people probably thought he had none.

“Yes,” Castiel answered the man who was still looking at him. “Take the bracelet off and see for yourself what happens.”

Dean raised an eyebrow at the challenge. But then he just shook his head; he probably thought Castiel would not pose a threat anyway. And he was right about that. His Second Skin was not intimidating. But he would still feel more confident with his Other close to his heart than he did now.

“You _could_ help, you know,” Bobby said.

“Help you with the assassination of my own uncle, you mean? And you probably won’t stop there. Might just cut off my own head now, because I am noble like him.” He looked at Dean. “You see, I don’t trust you either.”

Castiel was surprised at his own bold words. But neither Dean nor Bobby seemed to be angered by them.

“We don’t kill our allies. If you choose to help us, then we will protect you,” Bobby said instead. But Castiel rather looked at Dean, who nodded. The omega raised an eyebrow.

“I am confused. I thought you didn’t trust me enough to be your spy.”

“The verdict’s still out.” The alpha licked his lips – and Castiel strangely realised how handsome he was for the first time. Ever since Gordon had left the room, his expression had lost some hardness, which made him much more attractive. Not that it mattered what the rebel leader looked like. Especially because his next words were as big as they could get: “We are trying to change the world, Castiel, believe it or not. And we don’t want to kill all nobles, even if you think so. We even have a few on our side.”

“Who?”

“Not gonna tell you that,” Dean replied with a grin, like he was pleased with the question. “But to have someone in the royal family on our side would be a great advantage.”

“I hardly count.”

“You do. In the world we want to create. Where omegas are equal to betas, and even alphas. Where we can all choose out own path in life.”

It was Sam who had spoken, startling Castiel as he was suddenly behind him. For someone so big, he sure moved quietly.

“Balthazar says his words are probably true. He noticed Castiel for the first time half a year ago, when he had tried to find out how the common people lived. Since then they had made a few deals where Castiel managed to get some food down to our people.” He pointedly looked at Dean in a way Castiel could not read. “Someone might have noticed; someone who might remember it under the _current_ _circumstances_.” Judging from the strange emphasis, Castiel assumed there was something going on that he did not quite understand.

Dean cursed. “And why did Balth never mention he had a royal prince work with him?”

Sam shrugged. “Because he is Balth, probably. Said something about the holy Merchant’s Code. And also that it could end badly for Castiel if the wrong people found out he was helping us.” Sam looked at Castiel with a deep frown. “I think he likes you.”

There was a weird moment in which all three men looked at Castiel with astonished expressions.

“So… now that this is settled, what about that horse?” Castiel tried again. “I give you my word that I will not betray your position.”

Dean looked at Bobby and Sam in turn, and again Castiel had no idea what was going on. But he did notice that the thoughts of the beta and the omega seemed to have deep impact on Dean. When he had first come in with Gordon, Dean had seemed like the epitome of an imperious leader, but in this small group, it was hard to say, who had most authority. But it was Dean who finally spoke.

“Sorry, your Royal Highness. But for now, we have to pack. You will come with us to a new camp site. I hope you don’t mind too much that we have to blindfold you again. We are all very sorry for the inconvenience.”

>>><<<

Even though he disliked being blindfolded again, Castiel could admit that this journey was far more comfortable than the last had been. No one had tied his hands, and he was allowed to sit upright on a horse. Unfortunately though, he was not alone but his back was pressed against a solid chest.

Dean and Sam had led Castiel outside with his eyes still open, so he had been able to see the camp for the first time. Most things were packed up already, other than the big tent they had just stepped out of, and Castiel was amazed by the order as well as by the sheer number of people. There were hundreds instead of the dozens he had imagined before. Bobby had left them to take care of something he had not specified, while Dean pulled the same rough bag over Castiel’s head that had been there before.

“You’re gonna ride with Sam,” Dean had growled out. “We don’t have many horses and walking with a blindfold might be difficult for you.”

Castiel had felt strangely grateful – for one, he did not look forward to walking with a cloth around his head, but he also would feel most comfortable to share a horse with another omega.

But then, unfortunately, Sam had announced: “I thought I should rather go out with the other scouts again. Maybe keep an eye on Claire.” A pause. “The prince should go with you. I assume you wanted to ride ahead anyway.”

Dean had cursed under his breath, but he had still mumbled: “All right.” It had not sounded pleased. Castiel shared that feeling

So, the abducted prince found himself on a horse, sitting in front of the leader of the rebels. It felt awkward, but not as bad as he had feared. Castiel’s upper back constantly pushed against Dean’s chest, but otherwise the alpha seemed intent that they touched as little as possible.

“Can you even breathe under that thing?” Dean suddenly asked. They had been on their way for a while now, and Castiel had heard less and less commotion around them.

Castiel nodded, and then said “yes”, because he was not sure the alpha could see it with the bag on. And then he cursed himself – if he had claimed he had needed to breathe, then maybe the alpha would have pulled that damned thing off him.

Dean huffed out a short laugh. It vibrated from his chest into Castiel’s body. “If you want to be our spy, you need to learn how to lie.”

“I never said I wanted to be your spy.”

“Oh, but you didn’t say that you _don’t_ want to be our spy either.” Castiel frowned but said nothing. “What made you go to Balthazar, Cas?”

 _Cas_. He had not really expected the leader of the nobility-hating rebels to call him by his proper title, but this shortened version seemed oddly personal. Like friends might call him. Gabriel had called him _Cassie_ back when he had lived with his brother Michael.

“I don’t want to see my people suffering. I cannot change the world, but I might be able to help feed a few more mouths.”

“You might not be able to change the world on your own. But together, we might have a shot.”

After that, they did not talk for a long time.

Castiel could feel the horse walk up a mountain or a hill. Then they halted, and Dean pulled the bag away almost immediately.

“There we are. Home, sweet new home.” Dean slipped off the horse, then put his hands on Castiel’s waist and lifted him down as well. When he had the ground beneath his feed, Dean still had his hands on him for a moment. And Castiel wondered why he was not scared. Why their journey had felt strangely comfortable.

Castiel looked around and saw they stood in front of something that looked like the entrance to a cave. They were alone, obviously Dean had ridden ahead of the rest, who would mostly be on foot. Dean then pulled something out of a saddle bag. He handed Castiel a pile of clothes and some soap.

“A few feet that way is a small well. I thought you might be more comfortable without that horrible stench on you. Wash yourself and put some clean clothes on. I’ll wait here until you’re finished.”

Castiel took the clothes and walked hesitantly down what seemed to be crude stone steps.

“And Cas?” Dean yelled just before Castiel was about to walk around some bushes that would keep him from Dean’s line of sight. “Don’t try to run away. I promise nothing will happen to you. Not while you’re with us. But we are deep in the wilderness – we might not be able to find you before a hungry wolf does.”

Castiel nodded, and took the lasts steps out of Dean’s sight. He would not have been stupid enough to run away even without the alpha’s warning. He had no idea where he was –but Dean would probably find him before he had even come close to the next village. And looking like he did right now, he was pretty sure no one would offer to accompany him back to the palace anyway. And if he ran into some less friendly rebels… Castiel shuddered.

He took his time washing away the stench he had previously applied on himself. It was a surprise that Dean had not pushed him off the horse, now that he thought about it. Castiel felt strangely embarrassed. But there were more important things to think about right now than what Dean might think about his smell.

Those rebels wanted a world where everyone could choose their path in life. Where no one would suffer from hunger. Where even omegas were respected.

He could hardly argue with those ideas.

But he could not betray his family either.

Could he?

Castiel pulled the new tunic over his head and startled as he heard something behind him. But it was not Dean or anyone else of the rebels, who had decided the omega would be easy prey. It was a fox, who looked at him from somewhere between the bushes. It tilted his head to the side, and then it turned around and disappeared again.

There was something odd about that animal, Castiel thought. But it wasn’t likely that a palace guard in his Second Skin had found him so quickly.

Castiel shook his head, and walked back to Dean.


	3. Chapter 3

THREE

Castiel sat down on a big rock and watched the proceedings around him. The sun was already about to set, but it did not seem like anyone feared they wouldn’t be ready and done by nightfall. Castiel was still amazed by the number of people – or not only the number, but also the diversity of the group. There were children and elderly people, women and men, alphas, betas and omegas worked alongside each other. Not only a handful of gritty men who wanted to kill the ruler to make a better world for their children – but whole families working together.

Before, Castiel had always considered the rebels a group of thrown together people without much of a plan or structure. But now he realised they were surprisingly organized. They rebuilt their camp quickly and there seemed a strict hierarchy among them. Or maybe not so much a hierarchy as strictly allotted roles. Different people simply were in charge of different tasks.

He felt awkward, just sitting there and watching. Dean had left him when the first group of his people had caught up to help them lifting some heavy wood and rebuilding the tents. The rebel leader did not seem too aloof to muck in. Castiel had almost been glad when the first group of rebels had arrived and interrupted a slightly uncomfortable moment. When Castiel had returned to Dean, the alpha had scrunched up his nose and then looked at him strangely. Then Dean had said: “At least you don’t smell like horse shit anymore.” Which Castiel had had no idea how to respond to. But he had found that Dean was hard to read.

Castiel sniffed a little at his clothes again. They were clean and recently washed, but they still smelled like the alpha. The fact that they were also a little bit too big for Castiel made him feel even more awkward. On top of useless – as he saw the busy people around him, building tents and fireplaces and even latrines well outside the camp. Castiel almost wanted to ask someone if he could help – but it would be strange to help the people who held him captive.

Although, Castiel did not feel like a prisoner. And no one here seemed to think he was. The few who had approached him, had asked him if he needed something to drink or to eat. Even though Castiel had denied, trying to keep some of his dignity, a young man with blond hair and an open smile had handed him some water and a bowl of surprisingly good stew. Castiel had contemplated for a moment if the rebels wanted to drug or poison him with the food, but it did not seem like the logical thing to do. They could have just gotten rid of him before they had changed their camp. Bringing him here first would be over-complicated. That – and the boy who had brought him the food looked like he would be disappointed if Castiel did not accept his gifts. From some whispers Castiel had managed to hear over the last hour of useless sitting, he got the strange feeling that most people seemed to believe he was here to help them. The boy was probably one of those people. Even a squirrel had once halted in front of Castiel and looked at him funnily. Like it wanted to make out whether he was a friend, or an enemy.

Again, Castiel sniffed at his clothes. This could be another reason why everyone treated him so respectfully. He smelled a little like their leader. Maybe Dean had given him his clothes on purpose – so that others would stay away from Castiel. To protect him in a way – it was what alphas did, wasn’t it? Scent marking omegas as a warning to other alphas. Castiel sighed. He was probably overthinking everything. Dean had given him his clothes because Castiel had smelled like dung. The alpha probably would not have wanted to suffer from it one more minute – and his own clothes were the only ones at hand.

“Your Highness. Mind if I join you?”

Castiel startled and looked up. The man was standing against the already low sun, and it took Castiel a moment to make out his features – he was surprised when he recognised him.

“Balthazar.”

“The one and only.” Balthazar grinned and bowed in the graceful yet sarcastic way that seemed typical for him. “I fear your acquaintance with me brought you some --- inconvenience.”

“Not your fault.” Balthazar did not disagree and Castiel was a little irritated by it, even though he knew that was unfair. Or maybe he was just irritated by the beta in general right now. “You never told me you were part of this group of people. You let me pay you and made it seem like this was hardly more than another job for you.”

Balthazar chuckled. “Pardon me, but you are a member of the royal family. You might be more altruistic than most of them, but I did not know I could trust you enough to give away our secrets. At least not yet.”

Castiel did not respond to that. It sounded true enough. “I thought the rebels were just a handful of disappointed farmers who sometimes tried to assassinate the king, and always failed. But this … this seems so organised.”

Castiel still could not get enough of watching them. There was a group of children playing on some tree trunks; some rebels were eating around the fireplaces. Others were attending to the horses and the few cattle that had finally made it uphill. Even though they were outside, it all felt very homey. Like a big, happy family.

“Well, we used to be lone wolfs or worked in small groups. Angry and desperate. And stupid, mostly. But then Sam and Dean came along and gathered us all together. Said that we couldn’t do much on our own, but together, we are an army.”

“Sam and Dean… are they mates?” Maybe that would explain their wordless conversations, even though Castiel had seen no mating mark on either man. And a part of him seemed to think the idea was laughable – his Other chuckled clearly inside his head. But Castiel did not pay it much attention – _it_ had always had a strange sense of humour. They were not very much alike in that matter, Castiel and his Other.

But Balthazar barked out a laugh as well. It even took a minute before he could talk again; people already started to look at them strangely. “Great Shifter, no. They are _brothers_.”

“Oh,” Castiel replied. To divert from his mistake, and because he wanted Balthazar to finally stop laughing about him, he asked: “I am surprised to see you here. And I don’t mean that you are working with the rebels – I mean that you are _here_ , right now. I came to find you in your shop this afternoon.”

“Ah.” Balthazar sat down next to Castiel and stretched his legs. He looked almost bashful. “You know, it was probably a good thing that you didn’t get to my humble place then. I’ve been busted. Recently, Lucifer seems to acknowledge that the rebels pose a real thread – Michael usually believes the Great Shifter is on his side and would never let him get hurt. He sees us as a minor inconvenience. The Crown Prince, though, he wants to kill us all.” He paused. “Anyway, someone must have tipped me off. The shop is a popular meeting place, so it’s probable that some guard had finally noticed something. There was a troop waiting for me this morning. I hardly managed to get out of town unseen. There might still be some soldiers there waiting for me; at the very least someone will be guarding the door to find out who is in contact with me. Poor sods who just want to buy some soap today – the rebels all know what happened by now, but the honest clients, they don’t. And I am pretty sure Michael will behead one or two, just to make an example of them. He might not take us seriously, but he likes those displays of power. Sam sent out rumours about a rat infestation. I just hope it spreads fast. The rumour, I mean. God forbid I have rats in my place.” Balthazar paused, like he remembered it was not really _his place_ anymore. Then he looked at Castiel with a bright smile, that was too radiant for Castiel to believe it was honest. “So, like I said, it’s a good thing the Royal Omega did not walk right into my shop this afternoon. I’m sure there would have been many questions to be answered.”

Castiel shivered. Both at the possibility of his uncle killing innocents, as much as the fact that the guards might have caught _him_. He did not think Michael would spare him just because they shared the same bloodline. He would not have killed him, probably, but who knew what would have happened if he found out why Castiel had tried to visit Balthazar.

“Fortunately, there are a few sites like this one – where we can find refuge.”

“A few? You mean those here are not all rebels?” Castiel had tried to count them before – he thought there were well over 300 in the camp. A huge number, but still not a match against the king. The loyal Palace Guard had about 1,000 members; a couple more thousand in the army. And there was no way those rebels were as well equipped as them.

“Good Shifter, no. Those who can still live in their units. Only when it gets too dangerous, they flee to one of the safe spaces somewhere deep in the forests. We have the surroundings scouted regularly -so we will hardly be attacked without warning. And fortunately, I believe not even Lucifer has an idea we are growing so strongly in numbers every day.”

Castiel watched he people around him again, and noticed something odd. Jody, who seemingly was the person in charge of the relocation, had a squirrel on her shoulder. But she was not even distracted by it. And there were two dogs digging holes for various fireplaces. Then there was that group of children, who suddenly played tag with a doe and a beaver – who let themselves be caught much easier than a true animal would.

Were they --- could there be shifters here? But common folk hardly ever had a Second Skin. And those who did needed to report to the palace as soon as the beast overcame them for the first time. They all needed to work for Michael in his army – it was basically the only way for them to change from their birthunits.

“Most of the scouts are back, it seems.”

Balthazar was watching the same animals as Castiel with a smirk.

Scouts. Sam had said something about scouts. It would be easy to stay hidden in a forest when you were in animal form. Most beasts even had a better sense of smell or hearing, which would be a great advantage – and the enemy would hardly find anything odd about a rabbit in the wilderness. Especially because soldiers did not expect that commoners could shift. It would be smart.

But --- did that mean – were _all_ the scouts shifters? Was Sam?

Like his thoughts had summoned him, Castiel saw the omega walk out between the treeline and toward the camp. He was definitely in human form, but Castiel noticed he was wearing a different set of clothes. His eyes narrowed and Sam must have felt his gaze. He looked up, straight at Castiel, and walked towards him with a small smile.

“Castiel. You are well, I hope.”

Sam gave Balthazar a nod, who then stood and looked down at Castiel with one of his trademark smirks. “Some advice for the future, your highness: Never trust a man you have to pay for a good deed. Others might pay him better. With me, you just got lucky.” With those words, the beta left the two omegas alone. Sam took his place and sat down on a rock next to Castiel’s.

“As much as I can be in this kind of situation, I think.” Castiel replied to Sam’s previous question. He pointedly looked at the darkening sky. “I am sure I will be missed by now.”

Sam sighed. “I am sorry it went the way it did, Castiel. Please know that you are safe with us. And we have no intention to keep you prisoner for longer than absolutely necessary. Think of yourself more like a guest. Just… with all our people in danger, we had to find a way to bring them to safety first. We left many faux traces, and hopefully, even if our old camp is discovered, they will not be able to follow us here. But … we really had no time to think this all through.”

Castiel did not say that he doubted his uncle would be following them, at least not for now. Michael did not know that Castiel had willingly left the palace – there were many things that could have happened to him, other than being kidnapped by rebels. As long as they did not demand ransom, Michael might as well think he had fallen down somewhere and was now lying dead in a pitch, or had otherwise demised by his own fault. Maybe he even believed that Castiel had run away to escape an unwanted marriage like Hannah had threatened last year. Like Castiel had contemplated when Zachariah had still been alive, not that he had ever told Michael. He would have never been allowed to even leave his room again. Unlike Hannah, who was Michael’s own daughter and a beta, Castiel had never been allowed any temper tantrums. Hannah, Castiel’s friend who was now – a surprise to everyone – quite happily married, and too far away. Who could shift into a beautiful doe; her mate a deer like it had been destiny for them to meet.

“Are you a shapeshifter?” Castiel asked abruptly. He turned around to watch Sam’s features closely. Castiel was obviously not the best judge of character – like Balthazar had just proven – but he could still _try_ to sniff out a lie.

Sam tilted his head to the side. “Yes.” A pause. “Did you recognise me?”

Castiel had to think about the unexpected question for a moment. “The fox.” Sam nodded, smiling. “No, I did not recognise you. But there are many animals here and you’ve been talking about scouts… and you’re wearing different clothes than before.”

Sam chuckled. “You’re quite observant. You might have been a god spy after all.”

_Might have been_. Castiel did not know why he felt so disappointed that Sam obviously did not consider that path for him anymore.

“Were you watching me? At the well?” The thought was troubling – but better Sam than anyone Castiel did not even know. Like a strange alpha.

“No, I wasn’t. It was a coincidence that I ran into you. I just explored our new home. I promise I did not watch you clean yourself.” Castiel could feel himself blush, and Sam chuckled. “I’m glad you did, though. Stable dung doesn’t suit you.” Sam laughed, warm and open. “I shouldn’t be surprised it was the first thing Dean made you do.” He turned his voice into a conspiratorial whisper. “He has a very sensitive nose.”

Castiel frowned. “He did notice I was an omega when we met.” It was truly astonishing that Dean had smelled Castiel’s gender about the moment he had walked in. Castiel remembered how Dean’s nose had then touched his throat, to make sure he was right – fortunately, Sam was not watching his face which had probably turned even darker.

“Like I said.” Sam momentarily touched his nose. “Sensitive.”

“How many of you have a Second Skin? Among the common people, I mean.”

Castiel was surprised that Sam answered the question openly. “About one in six.”

“One of six people!” Castiel did not even try to hide his surprise. He could believe that a few loners had ignored the king’s order – but this meant there were dozens of shifters around him right now. “But the king ordered --- everyone with a Second Skin needs to work for the palace.”

Castiel realised too late that his words might not be received kindly in a camp full of rebels, but Sam did not seem offended. The voice coming from behind them, however, was a lot rougher than Sam’s expression.

“Well, he also said that people were not supposed to move outside of their units – and look at us! Hunters, merchants, scribes, carpenters – all in one place, working with each other just fine.”

Castiel turned around to see Dean behind him.

“I thought … I have been told that only people with noble blood could shift.” There were bastards out there, of course – which seemed to explain that some commoners possessed a Second Skin. But so many…

“Because this is the holy gift of the Great Shifter to those who deserve it?”

Castiel did not reply. The tone had been accusing. But this had been what Castiel had been told. He did not say anything, though, as Dean looked at him with obvious contempt. He had been treated well so far, but he did not want to push the leader. He seemed a lot more irritable than his omega brother.

“Castiel… as far as we know, we are all shifters. At least, we are all born with the gift, just that some of us can never use it.”

Castiel let out a short laugh – Sam could not be serious. Everyone a shifter? That was a ludicrous idea.

“Then why cannot all people shift? You said yourself that it’s only one sixth with the common people – and only about half of the nobles can do it.”

“You know how you need to be healthy when you shift? It doesn’t work when you are hungry or sick.” Castiel nodded. That much was true. Once, he had tried to change form right after a heat – but he had been too weak to do it. “And you remember the first time you did it? Probably a few weeks after your first heat. How it left you sick and weak for days, probably longer.”

Castiel nodded again. It had been a horrible experience. It had felt like his body had been forced to break every bone and his skin burned until he woke up in the form of his animal. Changing backwards for the first time had not been much better. But ever since that day, he had never been completely alone anymore. His Other was always with him. It had been worth it – but it had almost killed him. At least that was what it felt like. And as far as he knew, the first Change was tough on everyone.

“We assume that this first change in early adolescence will only start when you are healthy. It would probably kill anyone who’s not fit enough. So it just… I don’t know, doesn’t start. So not to hurt the host. Well, not in a lethal way.”

“And there you have your reason why nobles have so many more shifters. You’re all well fed. Healthy. You manage a Change to your Second Skin a lot easier.” Dean still sounded harsh. “When every part of your body is taken apart that first time, when you think you are going to die for sure – for anyone with a weak constitution, it might mean just that.”

There was an uncomfortable moment of silence. Castiel had no idea what to make of the brothers’ words.

“Anyway, I came to show you to your sleeping berth. We will talk tomorrow about what we’ll do with you. For today, we’ve had enough trouble. And I’m sure you want to lie down.”

Castiel followed Dean through the line of tents and fireplaces, Sam on their trail. It had become dark by now, but Castiel was too deep in thought to really notice. Was this possible? That they should all be able to shift? Everyone? He heard the truth within himself. Castiel shuddered. To think that there were people out there, who had this Other just like him, but could never reach it.

Too absent-minded to pay attention to his surroundings, Castiel suddenly stumbled as a dog crossed the path in front of him. He bumped into someone and was about to apologise, when he recognised a terrible stench. Dreading what he would find, he looked up, right into the face of Gordon, who growled at him: “Watch where you’re going.”

Castiel stumbled a little backwards, and right into Dean, who instinctively pulled an arm around him. Maybe he worried Castiel would topple over. Castiel did not care about the alpha’s reason, he was just glad he had someone by his side. But Gordon only turned around without another word and walked the other way. Since the possible danger was gone, Castiel should have stepped away from Dean immediately, but he stood there just a second longer.

There was a cough next to him and Castiel blushed as Sam watched them. Dean let go of Castiel, clearing his throat as he did so, and they continued towards the same tent the omega had first met the two men just this morning. Castiel was still confused about the little incident by the time they arrived.

“I’ll leave you to it then. Goodnight, Castiel. Rest well, and don’t worry too much. Dean.”

Castiel was disappointed when Sam walked towards one of the smaller tents nearby. It put him in the awkward position of being alone with the rebel leader. Again.

“Unfortunately, we were not prepared for guests, so it will have to do in here.”

Dean pulled the canvas to the side so Castiel could enter the big tent. He had not noticed before that it was divided into different areas or “rooms” – but maybe it had not been built that way this afternoon.

He swallowed, suddenly nervous. For whatever reason, he had not been afraid of Dean before. But sharing a tent with him, no matter how big, felt different than sharing a horse. Dean led him to a small room that looked inviting in the soft candlelight, and the canvas seemed to be at least not see-through.

Castiel sat down on a comfortable pile of pillows. Involuntarily, he let out a sigh. Until now, he had not noticed how exhausted he was. And this seemed like a much more comfortable sleeping place than he would have expected. But then Dean knelt in front of him and reached for Castiel. The omega cursed himself for almost trusting the alpha. He readied himself to kick him in the guts – whatever he wanted to do to Castiel, he would not give in easily.

But Dean had a key in his hand and opened the silver bracelet. Then he sat back and looked seriously at Castiel. The candlelight dancing in his eyes.

“You’re not a prisoner, Cas. I know today must have been hard for you, but I want you to know that you are safe with us. I’m sorry you got dragged into this.”

“Then why didn’t you just let me go?”

“Couple of reasons. For one: Balthazar. If one of _our_ spies saw you go to him today, who is to say someone else had not seen you before. Now that Balthazar is ousted as a rebel, someone might even remember having seen the royal omega come to his shop occasionally. And I have been under pressure of time, Cas. You know, get a whole camp to safety, stifle down some rebellions inside the rebellion – and to find a safe solution for an omega prince. Even if your intentions were good, and you did not mean to tell anyone what happened, maybe someone would have still found out where you really have spent your afternoon. In a camp of rebels. They would not go easy on you to find our hide-out. And then my people would be in real danger.”

Castiel watched Dean’s expression closely. He seemed honest. He also seemed to suffer from the great burden of having to watch out for so many people who trusted him to keep them safe. But taking the silver bracelet off Castiel was a huge show of trust in turn.

“You thought I was in danger too,” Castiel whispered.

“I thought you could be. And I did not want to send you back into a lion’s den.”

“But it will be much harder to explain my absence when I have been away overnight, Dean. Even in the best scenario my reputation will be ruined. And for a royal omega, that is not a trifle thing.”

“I know, Cas.” Dean rubbed his face. “And like I said, I’m really sorry. But we will have to talk more about this tomorrow. There is nothing to be done for now.” Dean turned around. “I’ll be right across from you. If you need anything, just give a shout.”

“Dean!” Castiel shouted.

“Yeah?”

“Ahem…” Castiel did not know what he wanted to say. He just had not wanted to be left alone. “What is your Second Skin?”

Dean raised an eyebrow. “What makes you think I have one?”

_When you think you are going to die for sure._ “The way you talked about the Change. You’ve certainly been there.”

Dean chuckled, but he did not say anything else, turned around again and left Castiel alone.

But the omega could still hear the alpha shuffle about, only parted by the thick cloth of the tent. And it made Castiel feel less alone. He felt almost safe.

_Yes_ , his Other agreed. _Safe_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, that was a long day for Cas. I apologise – there will be no other three-chapter-days. ;-)


	4. Chapter 4

FOUR

Castiel had not expected to sleep so well. He did wake up once or twice, seeing a candle still lit in Dean’s quarter, and once he even heard the scratch of quill on paper, wondering if the alpha would ever lie down. Leading a rebel army probably did not leave much time for rest. So it was no wonder that Dean had also already left by the time Castiel hesitantly walked out of the tent.

But he did want to talk to the alpha as soon as possible. Dean had said that they would decide today what to do about Castiel’s --- predicament. But the omega made up his mind sometime during the night. There was no believable way for him to return to the castle. Dean had been right about one thing: It would be dangerous for Castiel. No matter if Michael thought he had an affair, of if he had somehow found out Castiel had been with the rebels the whole time. Castiel was sure that Michael was not so fond of him that he would not rely on some form of torture to get the information out of him if he found even the smallest indication that Castiel was hiding something from him.

Even if he did try some flimsy excuse about how he had meant to run away in a temper tantrum to protest against his betrothal with Lord Crowley – Castiel was sure the king would not treat him any kinder than if he had outright eloped with a commoner. He was a royal omega; keeping his reputation unquestionably pure was of great importance.

Castiel looked around the line of tents. The camp was not as busy as he had seen it last night. He assumed many were still asleep. He was unsure how to proceed, where he would find Dean or if he should look in the tent Sam had headed to last night, when someone approached him. It was the same boy who had handed him his dinner yesterday – and he seemed just as excited as then. He could not be older than sixteen. Castiel sniffed a little: and he was a beta. Castiel wondered if he was also a shifter. That would probably trouble him for a while now; he had never before thought about the possibility that a commoner could have a Second Skin.

“Prince Castiel, it’s good to see you again. My name is Jack. Dean asked me to help you around.” Then the boy showed Castiel to the latrines and a place where he could wash himself – he even promised to keep anyone else away, after he had seen Castiel hesitate. Still, a cold well amidst tall trees was not quite the kind of morning toilette he was used to. By the time the royal prince was done, Jack had even brought him some new clothes. They fit him better than the last set, and they were clean. Absolutely no scent was on them, other than a mild trace of soap. Castiel shook his head as his own silliness, because he was almost disappointed that he had to put them on and exchange them for Dean’s clothes.

But Dean’s scent had been calming. Castiel tried not to think too much about it, though. Especially because he was still puzzled by his Other. _Safe_ , it had said. Castiel was not sure, if it had meant that Castiel was safe with Dean specifically, or with the rebels – or if this was just some general statement. Like: _Sleep, you will not die tonight_. It was not as easy to communicate with an intangible being as one might think. Especially a being with a strange sense of humour.

Castiel usually listened to his Other though. He knew it was his beast, in some way, talking to him, and that only omegas could communicate with their Other half. Most alphas he knew thought it was the reason why omegas were so timid. That there was a voice in their head that always told them to be cautious; the reason why they never dared as much as alphas or betas. Castiel did not agree. It was true that his Other mostly talked to him in perilous situations. The first time Castiel had heard it, it had told him to _step back_ just a second before a horse had kicked out one of his hindlegs, and would have hit Castiel if he had not, in fact, stepped back at the right time. His Other did not make him timid, it helped him to avoid getting hurt. Or doing something stupid. Castiel did not know how it worked exactly – even if his Second Skin had a conscience, how could it possibly see the future? Or maybe it was just good at reading body language, or had a better eye for his surroundings than Castiel did. Animals were aware of a lot of things humans never noticed.

_Safe_.

Whatever his Other had meant by this word, it had encouraged Castiel’s decision.

To stay with the rebels, helping whichever way he could.

“Jack? Do you know where I can find Dean?” Castiel asked the boy who seemed like he had nothing better to do than watch the omega.

“Sure. He is training at the clearing with everyone else. Come on, I’ll show you.”

Castiel followed Jack about fifteen minutes until they reached a great meadow. And the omega realised that he had been wrong: Most people were not still asleep. They were training hand-to-hand combat in small groups of two to four fighters. It did not look too different from the training in the palace courtyard Castiel had sometimes watched; even though their clothes were much simpler.

He and Jack were standing a little uphill, looking down at the meadow. The sight was breathtaking. The damp grass glistened in the sunlight, still little clouds of mist here and there. The people moving eagerly, young and old. Laughter and grunts reached his ears.

Castiel quickly recognised Dean, who was walking between the groups, occasionally offering advice or criticism. There were others who seemed to monitor the fighting as well, Castiel could see Sam and Jody, as well as three others who walked around and watched closely.

Jack continued towards the group where Dean was standing, and Castiel followed, suddenly insecure. Maybe he should have waited until Dean had sought him out himself. He would likely not be happy that Castiel interrupted his training. But then again, Castiel had not expected Jack to bring him to Dean right away if the alpha was busy. He had clearly not thought this through. But it was too late now – Castiel noticed how the first rebels had recognised him and watched him curiously. Castiel just straightened his back and held his head high. He was used to being stared at.

They were close enough now that Castiel recognised one of the fighters. It was the blond woman who had helped Gordon to abduct him. Claire. She had just been thrown to the ground by her opponent, and then let out an angry snarl. A moment later, there was a lynx in her place. The animal attacked her opponent, crawling out of the pile of clothes like it was nothing, and the poor man was soon lying on the ground with the big cat on his chest.

Castiel let out a yelp he hoped no one had heard in the confusion. At least he was not the only one who seemed startled – but Jack next to him only chuckled.

Dean was less happy. “Claire,” he growled. “I said _no changing_! You cannot always shift form when you get annoyed.”

Claire the lynx tipped her head to the side, still both forelegs on the man’s chest, who seemed like he had recovered from his initial shock. She looked at Dean like she wanted to say: _Why-ever not?_

“Because you need to train how to fight in your human form just as much as in your Second Skin. You might not always be able to change, in a real fight. You might be too tired, or hurt, or otherwise weakened. And most of all: Because I told you to train in human form only. If you can’t listen to a simple request, you might as well piss off.”

Castiel twitched at the vulgar language, but no one else seemed to mind.

Claire licked her tongue all over the face of the man on the ground, and everyone around laughed, including the victim. Castiel assumed this was some form of apology – but he was not sure. It would not have placated _him_. Then the lynx walked towards Dean, rubbed around his legs like the house cats in the palace did, and sat down in front of him, looking up at the rebel leader in a picture of pure innocence.

This time, even Dean chuckled.

“All right. Get back to the camp, change and help with breakfast. Ash will bring you your clothes.” His voice got louder, addressing everyone on the meadow: “The rest of you, continue training. The show’s over. And no shifting!”

Dean looked like he was about to walk to the next group, but then he suddenly looked to the side and his eyes met Castiel’s.

“Cas.” Again, with the nickname. “You’re up early.”

“Please don’t say that. I feel like I’ve been oversleeping, with everyone here already so busy.”

Dean looked Castiel over, and frowned a little. But then he shrugged and turned to the boy.

“Thank you, Jack.” The tone was not unkind, but it was a clear dismissal. Jack did not walk back to the camp like Castiel expected; instead, he took Claire’s place in her group and started training like the rest. Castiel assumed he had been told to keep an eye on the royal omega instead of his training session this morning.

“But did you sleep well?” Dean asked after a pause that had become long enough to be uncomfortable.

“Very well, thank you. Much better than I expected.” There was a smile in response to Castiel’s words, and the omega noticed how Dean’s eyes crinkled. It was charming.

“I wanted to talk to you, Dean.” Castiel cleared his throat, looking away from the green eyes and to the grass in much the same colour. He then frowned at the ground – he should not make such comparisons. “I wanted to talk to you about what you’re going to do with me.”

“Oh.” Castiel looked up to see the smile vanish from Dean’s face. “Of course. Again, Cas, I am really sorry for this mess. Believe it or not, kidnapping omegas is not what we are here for. Even when they share royal blood.”

“No, you just want to overthrow the king. A much more righteous undertaking.”

Dean narrowed his eyes, but he must have noticed that Castiel had been teasing. He relaxed his posture a little, and only now did Castiel realise that Dean had been quite tense. Still was.

“I better call Sam and Bobby. We should talk about this together. Maybe they have come up with a better plan than I.”

“I have already made up my mind, Dean. I want to stay here. I want to help.”

>>><<<

An hour later, Castiel sat in the tent with Dean, Sam and Bobby again. Just like the day before. They had all eaten breakfast at the same table they were sitting at now, but for the last twenty minutes no one had spoken a word. Castiel suspected there might be an unwritten rule about not talking business during a meal in this camp.

“So,” Bobby said once they were all done with their porridge and some hard-cured sausages. “Dean said you decided to help after all. That you want to stay with us.”

Castiel nodded.

“You do know that we, eventually, want to get rid of your uncle, your cousin. One way or another. Right, son?”

Castiel nodded again, not breaking eye contact. It had not been an easy decision. Michael was his family, the palace was the only place he knew. He was aware that the rebels must think him to be naïve, and he probably was, but he also knew what was right. He knew there was no way for him to return to his old life. And he knew that Michael would never be persuaded to tread his people differently.

Sam looked concerned. “This is a tough decision, Cas. I know it would not be easy to come up with a good plan why you had been away for two days, but I talked to Eileen last night and I think we managed to…”

“It’s not about that, Sam.” The other omega raised an eyebrow at Castiel. “All right, it is a little about that as well. But more importantly: I want to help. Ever since I noticed the depths of the disparity in this kingdom, I felt … powerless, useless. I didn’t think I could do much to change it, but what you have here… I think you really have a chance. And I could help. Maybe not as a spy as you said before – but I have knowledge.” Castiel looked into three pairs of eyes with equal expressions of disbelief in them. How had it happened that he tried to convince his kidnappers to let him stay? He licked his lips nervously. Maybe they would not even want his help. “I know the palace better than anyone here, probably; I know about Michael’s and Lucifer’s schedule. I might even be able to help you with the noblemen who are willing to support you.” He paused. “You said yesterday that you had some on your side already. Did you just want to deceive me or…?”

Dean, Bobby and Sam looked at each other. Clearly, they were not sure how much they should tell Castiel. Until now, they had answered almost all of his questions, but maybe they were not as willing to share information when it concerned others.

In the end, Sam shrugged and said: “We have the Trans on our side, and a strange deal with Lady Talbot. Then there are the Harvelles.” Castiel gasped – the Lady of Harvelle was a well-respected figure in noble circles. “Yeah, I know, Bobby seems to be quite the charmer. First Ellen, now you. Oh, and Crowley agreed to send us some troops if we guarantee him the land south of the Isaria, should we succeed.”

“Crowley?” Castiel exclaimed.

“You know him?” Dean asked. He seemed eager, which showed Castiel that he really could help with information.

“Well, I am betrothed to him as of yesterday. But I suppose I managed to break things up with my… let’s call it an elopement.”

Sam and Dean did not seem amused. Castiel was not surprised – no one ever seemed to understand his dry humour.

“You are engaged to him?” Dean asked, and Sam added: “He did not say anything about existing ties with Michael.”

“Maybe this means he cut some deal with the king to get his forest without us.”

“Or maybe… maybe he plans something more devious,” Bobby interrupted the brothers, who then both looked at him in query. Castiel was equally bewildered.

Sam was the first to understand Bobby’s meaning. “Of course. He wants to be king.”

“What?” Dean asked, but Castiel had understood.

“Dean – if Crowley marries Castiel, he will have a legitimate reason to proclaim himself as king of Niebo. We kill Michael and Lucifer for him, Hannah is already married and far away with Lord Gadreel, and the king’s brother had never shown any interest to return – that means Crowley can simply inherit the throne. The only left heir of the dynasty at his side. Of course, as an omega, Castiel cannot rule on his own, but luckily he has an alpha husband who happens to be the lord of a big county already.”

“Son of a bitch.”

Castiel had a feeling that he needed to get used to some crude language if he were to stay with the rebels.

“Crowley seems to be aware of our greatest weakness.”

“What weakness?” Castiel asked.

Dean rubbed a hand over his face and then turned towards him. “Look, Castiel, we have one major problem. Killing Michael and Lucifer will not be easy, but I believe we can manage. We even have enough trained manpower on our side to keep the palace guard in check, and a third of the army is on our side already, not that Michael knows about that; others might at least sympathise enough to stay out of a battle.” Castiel had already realised that this rebellion was well organised, but it still amazed him how long the Winchester brothers must have been working towards a strategic mission like this. “But even if we win – there will be chaos as a result. What we need is a new king. A better king.” He looked at his brother. “At least at first.”

Castiel frowned. “At first?”

“You see, in the long run, we want the _people_ to rule,” Sam explained.

“Pardon?” Castiel could hear the incredulous tone himself. “How should that work?”

“Elections. We could start with what we have – the different units elect a spokesperson for them and we form some form of council where everyone will have the same vote – noblemen and common folk.”

“This sounds… insane.”

“Yeah, I thought so, too,” Dean chuckled. “But Sammy here convinced me. It really is quite smart.”

“And just. I have been reading up about this. There are some places where the people already have power. Like Ziemia, where…”

“Yes, yes, all right. You can lecture his royal highness about the boring stuff another time. Point is, Cas, we cannot just kill Michael and start a completely new system at the same day. It will take time. And until we reach out final goal ---”

“--- you need someone to rule. Someone who will, eventually, help you change the political system the way you want.”

“Exactly,” Sam agreed.

Castiel sat there and thought about this for a long moment. He agreed completely that the assassination of Michael and Lucifer would only create some form of power vacuum – and that this might only end in chaos. Maybe the situation would even be worse afterwards. Years of war might lie ahead of them, in which the lords of Niebo as much as other kingdoms would try to win the throne.

“What about the other nobles you have on your side? The Harvelles for example.”

Dean sighed. “Lady Harvelle would doubtlessly make a great leader, but unfortunately, she is a woman _and_ a beta, and she vehemently refused to marry again.” Dean looked at Bobby sideways; and the beta rubbed a hand over his neck. There was some story here, Castiel thought.

“Her heir – or I should say heiress – would have the same disadvantage. And as lovely as Jo is, she is still very young and kind of a romp. Who knows what she will do,” Sam explained.

“Kevin Tran is a nice kid, but it’s really hard to see him lead armies,” Dean continued. “The Tran’s territory is also kind of small. Then there is Bela, who might be at least an alpha, but I don’t trust her as far as I can spit. She might help us by standing out of the battle if we pay her as promised – but as queen? Even Lucifer might be better than that.”

There was a silence that spoke of helplessness.

But Castiel had an idea. A bad idea, but --- maybe they could try the same thing as Crowley had planned. They could give Castiel to another lord, someone they trusted. Like Lord Kevin. The House of Tran might be too weak on its own, but with Castiel, blood of the royal family, on their side, it might work.

There was part of him that was revolted by the mere idea though. But that made no sense – Castiel had always known that he had to marry one day. And Kevin Tran would probably make for a way better husband than Castiel’s previous betrothed: Zachariah and Uriel. And now Crowley, for Michael’s promise could no longer hold when Castiel had changed alliance and was working with the rebels.

He had volunteered to help. And if marrying was the way to do it…

Castiel opened his mouth to share his idea.

_Gabriel_ , his Other said, loud and clear in Castiel’s mind.

Castiel scoffed out loud, which earned him confused looks from three men.

The mere idea was ridiculous. But Castiel always listened to his Other.

“I just… had an idea. What about Gabriel?”

“Gabriel?” Sam asked and Bobby added: “The brother of Michael?”

Castiel nodded.

“Gabriel has left this kingdom years ago. He did not want to have anything to do with Michael and Lucifer, he made sure everyone knew that. He lives in some small shire, and quite happily I hear. Took enough gold and jewels with him to live a comfortable life.”

“How would he help us?” Sam asked.

“Well, he is of royal blood. And an alpha. If Lucifer _and_ Michael died, he would even be the legitimate heir to the throne. No matter if he said he didn’t want to rule – he could still claim his birthright.” Suddenly, the idea did not sound quite as stupid to Castiel. “I have not seen him in years, but I remember him well. He sometimes even writes me – I’m the only one in our family he keeps in touch with. He is not as cruel as Michael, and he does not really want to rule. He thinks it’s too exhausting. Maybe we could persuade him, though. He might even enjoy acting as a staged king while we work on a new form of government.”

“We?” Dean asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I told you I wanted to help. As an omega I might not have been trained to lead myself, but I do know how the palace works. Once you have put your king on the throne, I can support you. I probably know more about trading regulations and palace protocol than either of you,” Castiel added sharply.

“Calm down, Cas. I didn’t want to say that you _could_ not help. I am just surprised that you _would_ is all. You know, a revolution is a whole lot more trouble than you might think at the beginning. Trust me. I know that I’m talking about.”

Castiel smiled a little, then he looked at Bobby, Sam and Dean in turn. He did not break eye contact with the alpha, and Dean did not try to stare him down until the omega would submit. They just looked at each other; there was a difference.

“That vision you have, I want that too. I want everyone to have enough food to stay healthy. I want common folk to get a chance at a Second Skin just as much as nobles have.” He turned to Sam. “And I want omegas to have as much rights as alphas.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. There is quite some work to be done before we can rebuild the empire. We need an airtight plan to get rid of Michael and Lucifer first; we need to get the army under our control and disable the Royal Guard. And then we need to put an unchallenged king on the throne, who will bring peace and happiness to all. Before we even think about this new government of yours.”

There was a rough edge in his voice at the last words, and Castiel thought he might agree more with the first steps of the plan and was not yet convinced about a different government of the people. It just showed how right Dean and Sam were to take it slow, one step at a time.

“But I think the plan is good, better than anything we have,” Sam said.

“I agree,” Bobby said.

“If we want to win Gabriel for our cause, we have no time to lose,” Dean said and rose from his chair. He walked up and down the room, suddenly energised. Like he was tired of talking and happy he could finally do something. Like he believed in Castiel’s plan. That thought made the omega flustered. “The way to Loki will probably take ten to fifteen days on foot. We already planned to make a move on Michael’s birthday celebration, which means we only have six weeks total. There is the way to Loki, back again, and in between we need to convince the royal prince _and_ get him and hopefully his army moving. This means we need to get Castiel on the road as soon as possible.”

“Get _me_ on the road…?”

“Of course. You know Gabriel. You should be the one to negotiate with him.”

Castiel blinked. Yes, of course. He should not be so surprised.

“Honestly, Castiel you are our only hope to get him to come,” Sam said.

Castiel nodded. “I understand. But … I don’t even know which way…”

Dean stopped his prowling next to Castiel and laid a hand on the omega’s upper back. “Don’t worry. We won’t send you out alone.” He squeezed Castiel’s shoulder reassuringly. Then he took his hand away, leaving a suddenly cold spot. Dean turned towards Bobby. “This needs to stay as secret as possible. Surprise is always a plus, and as much as I trust my people, you can never be sure what gets out. We could probably spare about three dozen fighters. And have one of our most capable lead this mission. I was thinking maybe Victor or Benny. Jody is needed here and…”

“No,” Sam interrupted his brother. His tone was determined, even though he looked strangely absent-minded. Then he turned fully to Dean. “ _You_ should go with Castiel; you with a small group – it will make you move quicker and hiding easier. Just a handful, and you two.”

“What? Sam, I can’t…”

“ _You_ need to go.”

“But Sam, those people out there see me as their leader. I can’t just bugger off in some secret mission.”

“Why not? Dean, I know you don’t realise this – but you have quite some reputation among the rebels. They respect Bobby and me, but they _idolise_ you. And who knows? When their great leader leaves with the royal omega on some mission, they might even be _more_ hopeful. They trust you, Dean. They trust that you’ll do what’s best.”

Dean stared at Sam for a moment. Castiel could not be sure, but he thought that as much as Sam had meant those words as an encouragement, they seemed more like a burden to Dean. Not that people trusted him – but like he was scared to be unworthy of their trust.

“Then I should lead my soldiers,” Dean finally said.

“They believe in you,” Sam urged. “The fact that you will be gone for a few weeks will not change that. Benny, Victor and I can keep training with the troops. Bobby and Jody will continue to work with our noble helpers, and by the time you come back, we will all have a plan laid out for Michael’s celebration.”

Dean looked torn, and Castiel realised something. _He_ wanted Dean to come with him. Partly because he was one of the few of the rebels he knew already, partly because he felt safe with him.

_Safe_ , the Other repeated.

“Besides, my Other half seems quite persistent,” Sam finished his speech. “ _He_ certainly thinks it’s the right thing to do.”

Dean groaned, and that seemed to be the end of the discussion.


	5. Chapter 5

FIVE

Castiel did not sleep as well as he had the night before. He had a lot to think about – and part of him just kept waiting for Dean to lie down on the other side of the canvas. The alpha had not returned to the tent with Castiel after dinner, claiming he had a lot to organise before they could leave. Castiel did too; he had to organise his mind.

It had all happened so fast. Just this morning, Castiel had come to the conclusion that he wanted to help the rebels – and now he seemed to play some major part in their plan already. What if he had made the wrong decision? He might have rushed into this.

But there were other things that rattled him as well.

Sam had some Other, who talked to him, like Castiel did. And he seemed to listen to it, just as Castiel did. Dean, on the other hand, listened to his omega brother. Castiel had never witnessed an alpha giving in to an omega, at least not while anyone else was watching. He had heard the gossip about some omega spouses who allegedly held great influence over their alpha mates – but even they would not disagree with them in an open council.

Castiel sighed. He should not think so much about the brothers’ relationship. He had bigger problems right now. He needed to go to the shire of Loki, by foot, and then try to convince his uncle to take the throne, at least for the foreseeable future. Then Gabriel would have to leave his post again a few years later. It seemed impossible, and, well, unpleasant. Castiel had never needed to walk anywhere – the few times he had been allowed to visit other counts with his uncle or cousin, they had been on horseback or in carriages. Castiel wondered why Dean had not chosen to travel in their Second Skin – but of course, most shifters could only uphold their animal form for an hour or two. Then there was the disadvantage that not all animals could carry anything with them – Castiel knew all about that. And it would be important that they had clothes, food and even weapons with them. They could not just show up at Gabriel’s completely naked – even if they would somehow manage to stay healthy enough to make the whole journey. But not all animals were equipped for it anyway. Castiel wondered who would accompany him in the end. Shifter or not. Sam had advised Dean to only take another handful. Probably all good fighters.

Castiel shuddered at the thought of traveling through the wilderness with a band of gruff alphas. At least Dean would be among them; it was comforting for Castiel to know one of the group already. And he was certain that Dean would not let anyone approach Castiel in a disrespectful way. Especially since they needed him to convince Gabriel of their cause. They would not get anywhere if they suddenly decided to _have_ _fun_ with the unmated omega. It was simple logic. And Dean seemed reasonable.

But even if Castiel arrived safely at his uncle’s – he was not so sure anymore that Gabriel would agree to their plan. It seemed bold and insane – which could be in their favour since Gabriel liked _bold and insane_ – but the alpha was unpredictable. And he had made sure everyone knew that he did not intent to ever return to Niebo when he had left 15 years ago. On the other hand, even if he were at odds with his brother and nephew, who was to say that Gabriel would not still defend their lives? It seemed unlikely, but he might end up on Michael’s side. But Castiel doubted he would do much more than maybe write a warning letter to his brother. Castiel was sure that Gabriel would either help the rebels or – more plausibly, now that he thought about it – simply decide to stay out of the whole affair.

There was something else nagging at Castiel’s mind though: If Gabriel refused to support them, maybe he would still allow Castiel to live with him. Dean certainly would just hurry back to help his friends as fast as he could, but Castiel was not really a part of the rebels, was he? And he was no use in a battle. Yes, he had proposed to help them, but --- maybe Gabriel would be the easy way out. Or maybe he could only return to Niebo after the fighting, and help build a new form of government. He could really see himself more in an advising role. He was not too humble to deny that he was quite smart – and growing up as the lone omega in his family at least had given him a lot of opportunity to read and educate himself. Mostly because he had never been allowed to many more fun activities. All those hours of loneliness might pay out now.

Or Castiel ended up marrying whichever nobleman would help the rebels’ cause after all.

The omega sighed and turned around in his bed made of cushions and blankets. He assumed he would not lie that comfortable the next two weeks either. He knew he needed to sleep. It was important to keep his strength up. So Castiel tried to think about nothing at all, to stop worrying about things that he could not change right now, decisions that had to wait for another few weeks – and stared into the dark for another hour.

It was only when he heard Dean return late at night, that sleep finally found him.

>>><<<

The next three days were busy with preparations. Dean had apologised for not being able to leave sooner, but he needed to take care of a few things first, like issuing instructions to every unit leader separately. Castiel understood that by the time they would come back, it might be only a couple of days until Michael’s celebration. Things needed to be ready by then. And Castiel himself was in no hurry. The longer he thought about the plan, the more absurd it sounded to him. But Sam and Dean still seemed to think it was worth a shot.

The three days before their departure were not only filled with idle waiting for Castiel either. Between breakfast and noon, he trained close combat with Jody and Sam. He did not join the whole group in their sunrise workouts – for which Castiel was very grateful, because he didn’t want to make a fool of himself, much less in front a horde of strangers. He already had had some lessons with a sword and a knife in the palace, before he had presented as an omega, but he could never keep up with real fighters. Sam had told him that their goal was not to turn Castiel into a soldier in just a few days’ time, but to show him some basic techniques he could use to hold his own for a while should he get attacked. Castiel enjoyed the training immensely, and he could feel how his confidence had increased already over the last few days.

Sadly, Jody told him after their last lesson: “But remember, don’t engage in a fight if you can help it. Running, changing to your Second Skin, or hiding behind Dean are all legitimate options. Don’t fight unless you absolutely have to.” She gave him what was supposed to be a reassuring smile and walked away, probably to help pack their rations. She was a busy woman and seemed to have a hand in about everything that went on in this camp.

Sam was still panting next to Castiel, who tried to hide his disappointment – he had thought he was doing quite well.

Sam must have noticed his consternation because he clapped him on the back encouragingly. “You’re doing great, Cas. But you’re no match for a trained alpha. And you will hardly find the time to practise more while you’re on the road. But maybe we could pick up where we left off when you return.”

Castiel perked up at that. He liked the idea to keep training. He enjoyed the exercise, and he would not feel as useless next to the others. Most treated him respectfully, but Castiel could not stop thinking that they all secretly saw him as some pampered prince. And they were right – that was the worst of it.

After their plan was formed, Dean had told his pack in no uncertain terms that Castiel was here to help them. The rebels also knew that Dean and he would leave for a few weeks on some secret mission. Since that announcement some of the rebels were looking at Castiel with open distrust, even though they never said anything offending, but Sam had been right: Most people in the camp seemed to be more hopeful than before. They treated Castiel like he was some secret weapon.

Sam – who had convinced Dean so easily to accompany Castiel. Maybe one question that had left him awake the last few nights could be answered right now.

“Sam, can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“You’re an omega shifter.” Castiel paused, but Sam just waited for him to go on. Probably because Castiel had only stated the obvious so far. “And your Other half --- it talks to you as well?”

“Sure. I mean, the fox is not that chatty, but every now and then he gives me some … _advice_ , I guess is the right word. It usually sounds more like an order though.”

“And you listen to your --- your fox?”

“Of course.” Sam licked his lips but did not explain further. Instead he asked: “What’s this really about, Cas?”

“When we made the plan a few days ago – Dean did not even argue with you. It was obvious he thought it was a bad idea to come with me, but he just --- he did what you said.”

Sam chuckled. “First, Dean always argues with _me_. Really, it sometimes takes us days to come up with a compromise for a simple problem. He just,” Sam grinned, “He never argues with the fox.”

“But why? My uncle says that omegas have a timid voice in their heads that make them too cautious and easily scared. Not like bold alphas.”

Sam laughed. “Really? Well, in _some_ way this makes sense, I guess. The fox mostly warns me of danger. But… he is always right. Ignoring the Other in us would be stupid. You’re an omega, I am sure you know already that the beasts seem to know more than we do. I don’t really understand how it works, but I trust my instinct. No. I trust my fox.”

“And Dean does too?” Castiel did not know why this was so important for him. But it really was.

“And Dean does too. Anyone here will listen to an omega, or rather their beast. See, there’s the difference: When _I_ disagree with Dean, we would sometimes argue for days. But when my fox gets into it, the discussion always ends quickly.”

“But he still argues with you? When _you_ disagree with him, I mean? He listens and then you find a solution together? You all really mean it – creating a world where omegas have a say.”

“We all really mean it. And yes, Dean will always listen to what I have to say, just as he listens to Bobby or Jody. Or anyone else in this camp. Does not mean he will always act the way we want him to, though. Sometimes he just goes with his gut in the end. And as much as it pains me to say so, but sometimes he is even right. He doesn’t have any Other talking to him, but you can usually trust his instincts.” Sam grinned cheekily. “Just don’t tell him I said that.”

“Not a word,” Castiel replied with a smile.

He liked Sam. The omega was open and thoughtful. There was a rationality to him that Castiel recognised within himself. Last night, they had talked about Masters’ _Rule of Reason_ for hours. It was a book Castiel had always found fascinating, but he had never met anyone else who shared his opinion. Even Hannah had usually called him an oddball whenever he had tried to discuss philosophical questions with her. So he was more than happy that he had found another person who liked to talk about books and different viewpoints. But their discussion had come to an abrupt halt when Dean had thrown something against the canvas from the other side of the tent and grumbled: “Can’t you just stop? Seriously, when I have to listen to another _But what does it_ really _mean?_ again, I will kill myself.”

Sam had laughed, and even Castiel had chuckled. He had mostly been amused by Dean’s threat to kill _himself_ , which was just very different of something Michael said whenever he got annoyed with someone.

“Thank you, Sam.” Castiel was not really sure what he meant – it just had felt right to say the words.

“Anytime.” Sam squeezed Castiel’s shoulder. “Dean told me to send you to him when we are finished. I think he has the group together and he wants you to meet them. Then you need to pick up the stuff for your journey. Dean wants to leave as early as possible tomorrow morning.”

“But I usually help Donna in the afternoons.”

It had been another task for Castiel. The female omega was in charge of the organisation of the camp, alongside with Jody and her daughter Alex. Donna had taught Castiel some basics about staying in the wild. She could build and remove a tent in five minutes – Castiel needed a lot more time, but at least he now managed to make something that did not fall down at the slightest brush of air. She had also helped him to dress smartly, with knifes, firestones and even some herbs close to his body – in case they should somehow lose their baggage.

“Donna said you’re good to go.” Castiel preened a little at that, and then felt himself blush because of it. “Besides, she will probably be the one to hand you your bags anyway.”

Castiel nodded and excused himself. As he walked a little away from the camp, he allowed himself to wallow in self-pity for a moment. He would miss Sam on his journey. But he knew that it was not possible for both Winchesters to leave the capital at the same time, much less the whole kingdom.

It was probably difficult enough that Dean left, even though Sam seemed sure it would not be that much of a problem as long as he left precise instructions. People tried to listen to Dean, and Castiel did not even wonder about that anymore. Dean was obviously a talented leader. Castiel might chafe a little that some of it had to do with Dean’s whole --- _alpha-ness_. Clearly, the rebels would not follow a beta much less an omega like they followed Dean. But it was more than that. Dean knew everyone in his pack, their names and backstories, and everyone was allowed to approach him. Moreover, he took care of everyone. It had taken Castiel less than a week to recognise how protective Dean was of his people – it was easy to see why they trusted him to keep them safe. He could be gruff though, and he did not allow pepople to neglect their duties. But punishments were usually within reason, and he had not yet beheaded anyone. He laughed easily, which was probably the most surprising thing about him to Castiel. That, and how ready he was to play around with a group of children whenever they approached him.

One thing was obvious, Castiel thought. The people here did not follow their leader because of his bloodline, his wealth, or even just because he was the strongest. They followed Dean because they chose to do so.

Castiel shook his head a little. He had become a little obsessed of watching Dean interact with the other rebels. It was probably because his way of leading was so different from Michael’s and it fascinated the omega. It definitely had nothing to do with the way the alpha’s eyes crinkled whenever he laughed.

The prince knew by now where he would most likely find Dean this time of day. He was usually giving lessons to selected crew members and had insisted that he needed to keep doing so until they left. Castiel had watched them for a few minutes each day. Unlike the training lessons in the mornings, Dean was a lot more active in those single sessions. Yesterday, he had trained with a rebel named Ketch, and it had been a marvelous sight. Both alphas were obviously great fighters and there was such a raw elegance in their movements that Castiel had hardly been able to look away. The alphas’ fight had somehow been brutal and precise at the same time.

But of course, they had not really hurt each other – it was the most important rule in training not to injure your opponent. But still, the occasional bruises and cuts happened. Garth was still sporting a black eye from two days ago.

Today, Dean was amidst a small group of four. There was Jack, who, as much as Castiel knew, was usually found among the scouts and not the fighters. He could shift into a pine marten and was really good at making himself invisible. He seemed very excited – but Castiel had already noticed that he always seemed excited whenever he was around Dean. There were two more men, both betas whom Castiel had never talked to. They just stood there and waited with sombre expressions. And then there was Claire. She did not look happy at all. She was engaged in a heated argument with Dean, again. Neither noticed Castiel approaching. Which was almost surprising to Castiel – recently, Dean had always turned around to him instantly every time he had been remotely close. For some reason, Castiel’s heart had fluttered every time Dean had responded that way. But maybe the alpha was too distracted right now. Or maybe the wind was blowing the wrong way, Castiel thought as he himself got a whiff of Dean’s scent. Castiel breathed in a little deeper. He still liked it very much. But his mood suddenly turned sour when he was finally close enough to hear Clair’s words.

“I don’t want to play bodyguard to some royal prince. We are here to fight the nobility, not to protect them! I don’t want to go on a long journey that might turn out to be completely fruitless while I could make myself useful here.”

Obviously, Claire had been chosen to accompany them on their journey. Castiel might have been glad about it – he liked Claire and her cheekiness – but now he only felt guilty.

“You know what, Claire: me neither. You really think I _want_ to do this?” Dean replied forcefully. Castiel deflated. He had known that Dean had not been eager to accompany him, but --- well, Castiel had felt good at the idea. And he had not believed Dean hated the thought so much. But then the alpha added: “And guess what? Neither does Cas. I bet he’d rather stay at a nice palace room instead of traveling through the forests with a bunch of brutes.”

Claire still frowned, but she looked like she would think about Dean’s words. Words that made Castiel’s stomach flutter. He liked that Dean would defend him.

One of the men Castiel did not know suddenly noticed him, and cleared his throat. Loud enough that Claire and Dean turned around to the omega. Dean blushed slightly, and Claire was clearly embarrassed. It endeared them both to Castiel.

“I am sorry, Castiel, if you heard any of that,” Claire said, her voice a little uncertain. Like she wasn’t used to apologize. “It’s nothing personal. It’s just that --- Dean never lets me do something dangerous!” She turned to the rebel leader again, ready for another argument. “But I am one of your strongest fighters. I shift easier than most and I don’t fight as mindless as you think! I am good!”

This time, Dean did not join in the yelling. He sighed, and his voice turned gentler than Castiel had ever heard it. “I know, Claire. You are tough and clever, and resourceful. And I trust you. Which is exactly why I want you to join us.”

Claire looked dumbstruck. She clearly had not expected to be complimented that way. But then she said, with a warm glint in her eyes and a cheeky grin: “ _And_ you want to keep an eye on me, so I don’t do anything stupid.”

Dean’s mouth twitched. “There’s that too, yeah.”

Claire let out a little laugh that made her look more like her age than the almost constant glare on her face. “All right. Then I will be happy to join you on this journey.”

“I didn’t know we would have a say in this.” Jack murmured, but when Dean glared at him, he quickly added: “But I am honoured to go with you, of course. Very happy. No complains here.”

Dean sighed theatrically and then turned fully towards Castiel for the first time since the omega had arrived.

“Cas, let me introduce you to our fellow travellers. You already know the ray of sunshine that is Claire. As well as Jack. And here are Cesar and Jesse.”

Castiel nodded at them.

“I will be our pleasure to accompany you on your secret mission, Prince Castiel.” It was the man who had noticed Castiel first, Cesar. He had a mark on his neck, as well as the silent man next to him. Castiel sniffed and was pretty sure they were mated to each other.

“Please, just call me Castiel. I don’t think titles are well received here anyway.”

The others chuckled, and Castiel felt less nervous. Even though the other beta, Jesse, had not moved a muscle. He did not seem too happy to be in this group.

“Donna will accompany us as well,” Dean explained. “She can make anything from scratch should we lose our baggage. Jack here is a great scout.” The boy suddenly looked like he had grown three inches from sheer pride. “And the rest of us are basically muscle. Cesar and Jesse have a great sense of orientation and can track about anything. Might help us if we run into trouble. And of course, we also need Claire to keep our spirits up.”

Castiel huffed out a laugh. He could well live with this group. He was not sure if Dean had selected them all for his sake, or if they had just been the best equipped for the task – either way, Castiel was grateful that he did not have to travel in a group of male alphas. Claire might have an explosive temper, but Castiel was not intimidated by her. Jack was a nice boy, and Donna was not only a true treasure, but also an omega. And the two betas Jesse and Cesar did not seem too daunting either. Or at least one of them.

And Dean – well, Castiel already knew that he felt more comfortable around Dean than he probably should.

>>><<<

Even though he was still nervous, Castiel slept better that last night in camp. But when Sam woke him in the early morning, he did feel a knot in his stomach. Suddenly it was all too real. He cleaned up and put on some fresh clothes, and then met his comrades at the end of the camp, all with bags on their backs, lightly armed so the weight would not slow them down too much.

Jesse led the way, Cesar by his side. They were followed by Jack and Claire. Donna was next to Castiel and chattered in a low voice about this and that. Castiel was glad for her presence – she managed to calm his nerves with her amiable chitchat that did not need any response from him. Dean was at the rear.

They were on their way for over three hours already, when Castiel suddenly stopped, his eyes wide.

His heat.

His heat was due in the next couple of weeks. How could he not have thought about that? But there had been so much going on. Donna looked at him quizzically, noticing something was wrong with him, but he just shook his head. He stumbled more than walked for the next few minutes. They probably all thought he was just nervous – which he was.

It did not matter. There was nothing he could do now. Maybe he was lucky and his heat would wait until they arrived at Loki.

Suddenly, Castiel felt a hand on his shoulder blade.

“Don’t worry, Castiel,” Dean said. “We’ll take care of you.”

If Dean only knew how ominous his words sounded to Castiel in that moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will not always be able to update this quickly. But I was bored today. I hope you enjoyed the new chapter!


	6. Chapter 6

SIX

Three days passed mostly uneventful. They walked throughout the day, not too fast but steadily, only resting about an hour or two for a quick lunch and some rest around noon. The fourth sunset was the first one, finally, when Castiel did not feel like he was about to fall over from exhaustion and needed to sleep for at least one week. It was embarrassing. Whenever they found a resting place for the night, usually Donna prepared a small campsite for them all, with a fireplace and two tents – in one slept Cesar, Jesse and Jack; the other was for Donna and Castiel; Dean and Claire usually just lay on the ground under the sky, probably so they could react quicker should their group get attacked. Castiel felt unbelievably useless next to Donna or Jack, who scouted their surroundings before they ate dinner every night. And he had no idea how Dean, Claire or the mated couple always managed to hunt for food after a day of hiking. But even though Castiel felt like a sluggard next to his comrades, no one ever made fun of him. Quite the opposite. Just this morning, Dean had told him he was surprised how well Castiel could keep up – and the omega might have preened just like Jack did whenever the alpha said something nice about him. But the prince was just not used to being praised, especially by an alpha. Even Claire had once mentioned that she had feared they would need to halt every 30 minutes for Castiel’s sake, and she was amazed how fast they were moving forward. From her, this was a huge compliment. The rest of the group was equally kind, reassuring Castiel whenever he seemed upset. Only Jesse hardly ever addressed Castiel. The omega was still not sure whether the man disliked him – or maybe he was just usually quiet.

After only half a week on the road, Castiel felt like his body was slowly getting used to the exercise. And he was a little proud of himself for finally being able to help Donna with their tent. He even got the fire ready while Donna chopped some potatoes. She hummed a little while the two omegas waited for their companions to return. Dean and Claire had gone off on a hunt, Cesar and Jesse wanted to walk up the next hill to get a better view of their current position as long as there was still daylight. And Jack had just hidden behind a tree to change form. Castiel listened to Donna’s happy tune and wondered how nice it all felt. He was a royal prince, used to big feasts and soft mattresses – and yet, here he was in the middle of nowhere with a group of rebels, feeling more comfortable than ever before. But they were good people, and all treated him with respect and kindness.

Suddenly a marten jumped from a tree and on Donna’s shoulder. She shrieked and then muttered: “Oh, bugger off, you.”

Castiel chuckled as Jack disappeared somewhere between the trees to check if they were being followed or if there was some other threat nearby. Donna stared at the place where Jack had just disappeared. There was longing on her usually cheery features.

“You know, sometimes I wish I … well, I wish I knew what animal I would turn into.”

Castiel had never asked Donna, but he had been fairly certain already that she had no Second Skin. Until he had met the Winchesters, he had not known that everyone should be able to change – as long as they were healthy and whole at the right time in life. When the beast overtook the human in early adolescence. But now Castiel pitied every person who could not change form. He thought it was especially sad for omegas, few as they were. With his Other’s voice deep inside him, Castiel was never truly alone. It was unfair that Donna would never hear that Other inside her.

“I am sorry,” Castiel said because he did not know what else he could do.

“Ugh,” Donna replied and waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. She smiled again but it looked hollow. “It is what it is.”

“What about Jesse and Cesar?” Castiel had never seen them change. On the other hand, he had never seen Dean change either, but he was certain that the rebel leader did have a Second Skin.

“Same as me, I fear.”

“What about Dean? What animal is he?” Castiel blurted out before he could hold back. No one had asked _him_ about his beast form in over a week now – so Castiel had started to believe the question was considered impolite. Maybe because it was such a tragic topic among the rebels – he could see the sadness of missed opportunities in Donna’s eyes right now.

But then a dimple showed on her cheek. “You’ve never seen him?”

“Seen who?”

Castiel turned around, his heart skipping a beat. But it was only Claire who walked out of the treeline behind him. She moved so quietly it was almost scary. And Castiel suspected she liked to sneak up on him especially. She always had that amused glint in her eyes when he startled, like right now.

“Dean,” Donna replied, before Castiel could abruptly change the subject. He liked Claire, but she also enjoyed teasing him a little too much for his taste. He did not want to give her any more reason than necessary.

“Oh, he skins the rabbits a bit further down; didn’t want our camp to get messy.” Then she turned to Castiel with a frown. “But you _have_ seen Dean before, right?” Her tone was dangerous – like she was searching for something to make him squirm.

Castiel opened his mouth to say anything that would deflect her, but Donna was faster again.

“No, we were talking about Dean’s Second Skin. Castiel has never seen it.”

“Of course he hasn’t.” Claire turned to Donna with dramatically widened eyes. “Donna, don’t be mean. You know how sensitive Dean is about his animal form!”

“Sensitive?” Castiel asked, yet again without intention.

“Well, strutting alpha, rebel leader – and then he changes into a squirrel. It is somewhat --- embarrassing, isn’t it?”

“A _squirrel_?” Castiel cried out in a high-pitched voice. He could see Dean as many things – a cougar maybe, or a stag like Michael --- but a squirrel?

Donna and Claire both looked at him with serious expressions, and then they both started to giggle hysterically at the same time. Castiel even heard cackling laughter somewhere deep inside of him. Unfortunately, it did not make either of the three calm down when a pout settled on his face.

Even an hour later, when they were all gathered around the fireplace, the two women would start chuckling every now and then, seemingly without reason. Cesar raised an eyebrow at them, but Jesse and Dean mostly ignored the women. Jack noticed that they obviously made fun of Castiel and he told him in good humour: “They tease me all the time too. Don’t worry; eventually they’ll find something else to laugh about.”

>>><<<

Castiel and his friends finally reached Loki.

Friends? When had that happened?

He was standing in front of Gabriel, telling him all about the rebellion, about their plan to announce him as some form of place holder king. About the new world they wanted to create.

And then Gabriel only laughed. He laughed so much he had to sit down. On his left and right side, Donna and Claire joined in the cackling, and even Cesar, Jesse and Jack seemed to find the whole idea hilarious. They all pointed their fingers at Castiel and almost fell over in their convulsive laughter.

Castiel turned around and looked at Dean. The only one in the room, apart from Castiel, who was not amused. The alpha reached for Castiel’s hand and told him: “I’ll do anything I can to keep you safe.”

Castiel felt a flutter in his stomach, but then Dean let go of his hand and turned back to Gabriel.

Only, it was not Gabriel anymore. It was Michael, unsheathing his sword and staring down at Castiel. The omega instinctively bared his neck in submission, but Dean stepped in front of him, to protect him. Castiel’s heartbeat quickened in his fear.

When Michael started moving, sword held high, Dean changed to his Second Skin – and attacked the big stag in the form of a helpless squirrel.

Castiel sat up, sweating all over, heart beating all too fast. He still heard the harsh laughter from his dream in his head. He looked to the side and could make out Donna’s form. The other omega seemed to be in a deep slumber.

Castiel rubbed his eyes and tried to calm his nerves. It was just a stupid dream. His subconsciousness had weaved together events and thoughts from the passed days into something silly. Just a nightmare.

But there was some truth in this dream, and it was hard to ignore it. The doubts had been nagging at Castiel for a while now. It did seem stupid to try and convince Gabriel of their mission. Even if they succeeded, there were about a hundred things that could go wrong.

And in the end, Michael would likely kill them all.

Castiel felt restless and left the tent to get some fresh air. He pulled the canvas aside, and in the light glow of their campfire, he could make out Claire, lying on a blanket on the ground. She was rolled up, almost like a cat, and seemingly fast asleep; her light hair gleamed in the night.

Another figure was sitting against a tree a little farther away. Castiel knew who it was even before Dean asked: “What’s up, Cas? Shouldn’t you be still asleep?”

“Shouldn’t you as well?” Castiel slowly walked over and sat down next to Dean on a stump. He was still shaken from his dream and searched for some form of comfort, even though he did not tell the alpha that much. It was good enough to have him next to Castiel, alive and well.

“Nah, someone needs to keep watch.”

Castiel suddenly wondered how much – or _little_ – Dean had slept the last week. “Doesn’t mean it always has to be you.”

“I am the leader. It is my job to watch out for my pack.”

“Forgive me, but that’s just stupid.”

“Excuse me?” Dean did sound offended.

“Everyone needs to rest, Dean, even manly alpha rebel leaders. You are of no use to the --- to _us_ if you kill yourself from overexertion.”

Dean scoffed. “You almost sound like Sammy.”

“I take that as a compliment,” Castiel replied with a smile. “Your brother is very wise.”

Dean chuckled in response. “That he is. Always was a smart-arse, even as a pup.”

They sat for a few minutes in silence. It felt comfortable, and Castiel could feel some of the stress of his dream wash away.

“How did you end up here, Dean?” Castiel asked, glad about the darkness. He was not sure he could have posed such a personal question in the light of day. But at night, words always seemed to come easier. “How did you become the leader of the rebels in the first place?”

Dean snorted. “Accident, I guess. Or the planning of my brother.” Castiel waited. There was a story behind this, to be sure. He already knew that Jack had been taken in by the rebels after his parents had died, killed by Michael’s army for hardly a reason, much like Claire’s. Donna had joined after the royal guard hat burned down her bakery, after she had been accused of sending mouldy food to the palace. Fortunately, she had managed to flee before they could arrest her. Cesar and Jesse, Castiel had never asked them about their incentive to join the rebels. He liked the couple well enough, but Castiel did not feel close enough to them for such a personal question. With Dean, he did. Strange as that was.

Dean sighed loudly, almost like in defeat, before he started: “We grew up in the unit of craftsmen. The Winchesters are carpenters, you know, have been carpenters for centuries. My mother, though, she was of the hunter unit, but she had been allowed to change trades to mate dad. You know, the way women and omegas can switch units occasionally to avoid too much _inbreeding_ ,” Dean spat the last word out. “We didn’t have it that bad, to be honest, a lot better than most. We always had enough food on the table, dad could even get a reasonable price for his work, because it was the best. And I liked the job. I helped dad already when I was just a little kid and I always enjoyed carving wood. It’s something I’m good at.” Dean almost sounded embarrassed. He quickly added, as if to deliberately change the subject: “Mom never really turned from her family, though. And we often sneaked out and met the Campbells – where Sammy and I trained with the other hunters. Secretly, of course, but we got quite good at it. And I might have been content with this life. Building furniture for a living, hunting for fun.

Sammy though --- Sammy was different. He always wanted _more_. But you know, he is an omega, and thus, his purpose is to bear children to whatever asshole the palace guards wanted to give him to.” Despite his harsh words, Dean chuckled, like he remembered something funny. “He’s smart, though, and resourceful.” There was another pause and Dean seemed to struggle to find the right words. “It was around the time when Sammy had his first heat that I started to look at things differently. He was so --- disappointed. You know, male omegas are rare. And we trained together all our lives, Mom even made sure we learned to read and write and stuff with Bobby, another family friend. And then suddenly Sammy was supposed to stop all that and become the mate of some alpha.” Dean let out a little growl. “Even dad treated him differently after he had presented. Which resulted in a lot of arguments between my parents. All my life, they had been the happiest mated couple one can imagine – and suddenly they fought all the time. Mom even talked about moving, about finding a different place for us to live, where we could all do what we wanted. She had heard stories about other kingdoms where there were no strict units, and even the commoners had other options than simply do whatever their parents did. I was seventeen at the time, and I had never before noticed that Mom was unhappy. She was an omega too, and as much as she loved us, I believe she would have liked to be a hunter herself. And not just a carpenter’s wife. She _was_ awesome with a bow and arrow.”

Dean paused, and Castiel could almost physically feel Dean’s pain, that radiated off him in strong waves in his scent. The omega braced himself for the next words.

“One night, they had a big fight, and then Mom stormed out. Dad didn’t follow her. She could take care of herself, and we were all sure that she would return the next morning. But she didn’t. We didn’t hear a word from her for a week. Of course we tried to find her after that first night, but … no one we knew had seen her. Then Bobby came. He had found out that one of the high guards, Azazel, had ripped Mom’s throat out. She got busted as she bargained with one of the merchants to smuggle us out to another kingdom.”

Castiel reached for Dean’s hand and squeezed it. He was reminded of his dream, how they had been holding hands then, and he felt the same flutter in his stomach. But here in the chilly night air, the alpha did not pull back right away.

“It was a miracle that they had not come for the rest of us, but maybe they had never found out her name. Maybe they hadn’t even cared. Dad was no use for some time after that. He was obsessed with plans to kill Azazel, and hardly cared about anything else. He was not the man he used to be, overwhelmed by guilt and hatred. Sammy and I needed to work twice as hard to keep anyone from noticing that Dad was hardly in the workshop anymore. It was just plain luck that no one had asked for Sammy at the time. Poor boy was going through a tough time already – he was devastated because of Mom, and his fox had started to devour him. And then Dad finally confronted Azazel and all hell broke loose.”

“Did he kill him?” Castiel asked, oddly hopeful.

“No. Just the opposite. Azazel killed Dad. And then the palace guards finally came for us. Fortunately, Bobby had found out about it. He warned us, and helped us flee into the forest. Where we eventually stumbled across a small camp of rebels. They were hardly more than a dozen back then and not as organised as we are now. At the beginning, we only wanted to stay with them until we had a plan and enough money to leave Niebo. But then… we stayed. We could help them, do something right. We worked hard to get as many people to safety as we could. And Sam soon had some great ideas about changing the world. Still, it took a while until rescue missions became more like recruitments. Some of the people we saved left the kingdom, yes, but a lot chose to stay with us. Chose to fight back.”

“They want to change to world, too.”

There was now pride in Dean’s scent. Castiel enjoyed how they were sitting so close together in the dark. He could concentrate a lot more on Dean’s scent when he was not distracted by other things.

“We also planned some bold missions over the years.”

“Like try to assassinate Michael?”

Dean chuckled. “No, actually. Those were usually loners. We always wanted to get enough manpower behind us before we start to overthrow the king.” He huffed out a laugh. “At least after Sammy finally got through to me. You know, he is much smarter than I am. But we have caused some trouble. Some food deliveries got lost; there was that theft of certain emeralds…”

“That was you?”

“… and sometimes the guards run into unforeseeable trouble. It gives our men and women some training. And on one of those days, Azazel might have lost his head.”

“You did it yourself?” There was something in Dean’s voice that made Castiel believe the alpha had been involved.

“Damn right I did. That monster took both my parents. And someone had to finish dad’s job.” Dean squeezed his hands, reminding Castiel that they were still touching. It was strange – and pleasant. “He was the first person I ever killed.” Dean’s voice had turned as silent as a whisper. “I know they all expect me to be this ruthless fighter, but I don’t enjoy taking someone’s life.”

It sounded like a confession, of some tremendous weakness.

“That is nothing to be ashamed of, Dean. It’s a good thing. Alphas like Michael or Lucifer, they enjoy it. They enjoy torture and death. It’s a good thing that you are not like them.”

Dean seemed a little uncomfortable with how much he had revealed about himself. And Castiel tried not to think about the warmth that seemed to wander from their entangled hands all the way to his chest.

Dean suddenly huffed out a laugh. “But sometimes I wish I was more like them. They can change into majestic animals. I am left with the form of a squirrel.”

There was a short pause. Then Castiel laughed lowly in the midnight air and pushed playfully against Dean’s arm. The alpha’s words had been an obvious attempt to change the subject, and Castiel would not intrude further into Dean’s past. Even when he made fun of him.

“What about you, Cas? What made you a rebel?”

A rebel. Castiel huffed.

“Well, I guess I got accidentally abducted by said rebels. And then I somehow let myself be persuaded to help them.”

“Aw, I bet that was because of their handsome leader. He’s quite the charmer, I hear.”

“Right. He’s so charming that he told me I smelled like horse shit. And made me wash myself as soon as possible so he would not have to suffer from my stink.”

Dean laughed. “But in my defence: You did smell like horseshit. Your natural scent is so much more becoming. And you looked cute, in those too big clothes and the way your hair was a real mess after that bath.”

“My hair is always a mess,” Castiel grumbled. It had been the one thing that both Michael and his governess had constantly complained about.

“Yeah, I know.” Dean’s teeth flashed in a grin.

Castiel paused. Dean sounded almost like Balthazar had whenever he proclaimed he was flirting with him. Was _Dean_ flirting with him? Suddenly, Castiel noticed they were touching. His hand was still on top of Dean’s; they were somehow sitting close enough now for their shoulders and thighs to be touching – when had they moved so close together? Castiel pulled his hand back, regretting it almost instantly. But it would be strange to grip Dean’s fingers again without reason, wouldn’t it? He cleared his throat, a little helpless.

Wait. Did he _want_ Dean to flirt with him? Before he could find an answer, his thoughts were interrupted.

“Seriously, though, what made you help us?” Dean’s tone had lost the playfulness from before, and Castiel was almost disappointed that the light mood had ended so soon. But Dean had been honest with him, so he deserved the same in return.

“I know I had a good life, compared to most, but as an omega, it’s not exactly fun to live around Michael and Lucifer. I have the same blood as them. I had the same education as them. But just because I can bear children, I am somehow seen as unfit to lead myself. And I don’t even mean as king, but an omega cannot even act as an official advisor. I always found it unfair. I know it sounds childish – I still had every amenity the nobility is used to. I admit, I have never really noticed how much the people outside the palace walls suffered. I regret to say that I even believed this was the way of life, orchestrated by the Shifter. It took Bobby to make me pay attention to the world outside the palace.” He paused. “I help you, Dean, because it’s the right thing to do.”

“You really are like Sammy.”

“Again, I take it as a compliment.”

“Would you though? Want to lead, I mean?”

Castiel waited a long time before he answered. “I don’t know. I never really thought about it. It was never an option for me, so…” Castiel shrugged. “What about you?”

“Me?”

“Yes, Dean, _you_. You must know that this is an option. You are the leader of the rebellion. You could just take the throne for yourself. Be king instead of Michael.”

Dean laughed without humour. Castiel could not see his face clearly but he was fairly certain there were no wrinkles around the alpha’s eyes. “I am no king, Cas. I’m just a dumb carpenter. I couldn’t rule a whole kingdom, no matter for how short a time.”

“I think you underestimate yourself, Dean. You seem to have done a good job with hundreds of rebels so far. I believe you could be a good king.” Castiel bit his lips, embarrassed by his own words.

Dean sighed. “Hopefully, we will get Gabriel to play king for us, and we never have to find out.” He bumped against Castiel’s shoulder with his own. “You should go back to sleep, Castiel.”

“So should you.”

Dean laughed, the sound was rough and honest, sending a shiver down Castiel’s back. “I make you a deal: I will try to sleep when you go back to your tent.”

Castiel got up, but waited, looking down at Dean. “You should really let us all keep guard in turn, Dean. You can’t keep doing this to yourself. I will go back to the tent now, but tomorrow I will keep watch for some hours during the night.”

“You?” Dean asked and Castiel tried not to take offense at the tone.

“I might not be able to fight off any wolves, but I promise, I can yell loud enough for you strong alphas to wake up and save me.”

Dean laughed, and Castiel realised he liked the sound very much. “Touché.”

The omega suddenly had an idea. “You could train me. Every evening for an hour. I know I am not at my strongest after a day of hiking, but … it might benefit us all if I got better at fighting.”

Castiel was almost certain that Dean would refuse, but after a moment he replied: “All right. One hour before dinner. But now go to bed.”

Castiel nodded, pleased.

“G’night, Cas.”

“Goodnight, Dean.”

When Castiel finally lay down again, he felt like something had changed. But he could not really tell what it was. All he could think about was the way Dean’s laugh seemed to vibrate through his whole body. He felt himself blush, a warmth that spread from his face downwards, as he remembered how they had been holding hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the Destiel bonding time. ;-)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! I’m so sorry for the confusion in the last chapter! Some of you understood the squirrel-thing as a joke, some took it seriously. Others were just confused. So I tried to put this chapter out as quickly as possible. I promise, you will know what Dean’s Second Skin is at the end of it! Again, I’m sorry. If Castiel (of all people!) gets a joke and you lovely readers don’t – then I know I did something terribly wrong. Maybe I will rewrite the moment in Dean’ and Cas’ conversation sometime, but for now: Enjoy! <3

SEVEN

The next morning, Castiel felt a little off. He was too hot and itched all over. He blamed the night of restless sleep for his discomfort. It had not helped that Dean latterly occupied nearly all of his thoughts, so even after he had returned to the tent, Castiel had hardly managed more than a light slumber. The leader of the rebels was a righteous man, full of good intentions. But the thing Castiel could not stop thinking about was how his eyes shone when he smiled, and the deep rumble of his laughter.

Or how warm his hand had felt beneath Castiel’s.

Still sweaty and feeling gross all over, Castiel decided he would clean himself more thoroughly this morning than he had done the previous days. It was still early – maybe he would even dare to fully walk into the water instead of just wiping a washcloth over his torso. Castiel would never say it out loud to his comrades, but he missed his bathtub. And the servants who had filled it with warm water every morning. He really had led a privileged life so far.

The prince searched for soap, a washcloth and a small towel in his bag and exited the tent, cautious not to wake Donna. He waved at Claire, who was already restarting the fire for breakfast, and walked to the shallow river nearby. The group always tried to camp near running water for washing and cooking.

Castiel hummed to himself and took off his tunic right at the riverbank. He shivered a little and reconsidered his idea of undressing completely. The water looked shallow enough near the edge and the stream was not too harsh even in the middle. Castiel could not swim – there had been neither need nor occasion to learn it for a royal omega – but this looked safe enough. Safe, but cold.

Castiel still frowned at the river, one hand at his belt, when suddenly water splashed in his direction and something emerged right in front of him. Castiel shrieked, almost expecting that a mystical river monster had come to devour him.

But it was no monster – it was Dean, rising from the midst of the river. In all his naked glory.

“Dean!” Castiel yelled in surprise, then turned his back to the alpha almost at the same time.

He should have kept his mouth shut and just fled, Castiel thought a second later. Dean probably had not even noticed him right away. But it was too late now.

“Good morning, Cas!” Dean shouted, sounding not at all uncomfortable. Like it was not the least bit embarrassing for him to be completely naked with an omega nearby. An omega, Castiel noticed with dread, who was only half dressed himself. _He_ was certainly flustered enough for them both.

“Will you throw me my towel?”

Castiel was confused for a moment, but then he looked to the ground and noticed a pile of clothes and a piece of rough cloth a few feet away from him. It was not the kind of _towel_ Castiel was used to from the palace, but he assumed it would have to suffice when you lived in a forest. At least Donna had given Castiel a more comfortable one.

He picked it up, focused to not even remotely turn towards Dean who was still splashing in the water. Castiel tried to figure out how he could hand the towel to the alpha without really looking at him. Of course, he hesitated long enough for this to turn into a really awkward situation.

Dean laughed behind him. “Come on, Cas, just turn around and just throw it at me. I am decent enough, I promise.”

Hesitantly, Castiel faced Dean again – because, what else could he do? Running away would be just as embarrassing. He was an adult. He could handle this. Fortunately, Dean had lowered his body back into the water, so Castiel could only see the alpha’s shoulders and chest. Which was bad enough. Water kept dropping from the Dean’s short hair and onto those broad shoulders, trailing down…

Castiel threw the towel. He did not check if Dean caught it but quickly turned around again. He had been raised as a royal omega; decency and propriety were hammered into him like nothing else. Great Shifter, his governess would turn over in her grave if she could see him now. But Hannah would have laughed. She had always been the one to coax Castiel into following her to watch the soldiers in the courtyard. Involuntarily, Castiel smiled as he imagined what she would have to say now. Probably something like: _Turn back around and get a good look as long as you have the chance_.

Castiel heard the Other in him cackle out an amused laugh.

But it was too late now anyway. Castiel heard Dean walk out of the water behind him, then he felt a cool hand on his – still bare – shoulder. The goose bumps that started a trail on his body certainly only had to do with the cold.

“Thanks, Cas.” Castiel chanced a glance at Dean, who had the towel around his most _improper_ places, and grabbed his clothes on the floor. The alpha grinned, and Castiel could feel his face heat up. “Your turn now. I’ll make sure no one will disturb you, so take your time.”

Dean walked away, and Castiel probably should not have stared at his covered backside and less covered legs the whole time – until Dean was finally out of sight.

Castiel was still sweaty though, despite the chilly air, and he looked calculating towards the river again. With Dean telling him he could take his time – and promising that he would keep the others away… and the water looked shallow enough that he was in no danger to be pulled away by the stream. Nodding to himself in encouragement, Castiel undressed completely and quickly walked into the water.

There was a moment of shock, when breathing felt difficult – the water was even colder than Castiel had expected, colder than any water he had ever been in – but he quickly got used to it and even dunked his head under after he had soaped up his hair. It felt good to finally wash away all the dirt and sweat completely, somehow better than all the regular baths in his private room. Maybe because he had seldom been so much in need of a bath before. He let out a chuckle – Michael would faint if he could see him now. With a bunch of rebels in the middle of nowhere. Taking a bath in a river under the clear morning sky.

Once he had dried up and put his clothes on, Castiel felt a lot better than he had after waking up this morning. When he got back to the camp, he tried not to look at Dean, though. He knew that, rationally, their brief encounter was nothing to be embarrassed about – but he also knew that it would not have felt the same with Cesar, or even Jesse. _They_ never made Castiel’s stomach flutter whenever they smiled. There was also their conversation last night, which had been genuinely nice, but had also left him uncertain. To Castiel, it had felt like his relationship with Dean had somehow shifted – but he had no idea what Dean thought of him. Maybe he had been too forward when he had taken the alpha’s hand?

“Ugh, Cas, finally,” Claire grumbled, successfully distracting Castiel from his worries. “We want to clean up too, you know. And with that brooding alpha here threatening to kill us all if we didn’t stay away from you…” She grouched on as she walked away in the direction of the river, followed by Jack, who only smiled at Castiel in apology, and Jesse, who even stopped to say: “Don’t listen to her, Castiel. She always gets cranky when things don’t go her way. The Shifter forbid she has to wait five minutes for a bath.” Castiel was stunned – this might have been the first time Jesse had addressed him. The beta was usually quiet on the verge of cranky, and he talked seldom to anyone other than his mate or Dean. Cesar winked at Castiel and whispered: “And it was rather fun to watch Dean, getting all worked up to make sure you would not be disturbed.”

Donna handed Castiel a pot with oatmeal and said, all sweet innocence: “I thought the water would be cool this time of year, but you look a bit flushed, Castiel. Huh. Dean was the same way when he came back.”

The alpha coughed behind them, but when Castiel finally turned towards him, Dean seemed terribly busy, packing his things back into his bag.

Castiel did not know why, but a grin started to spread over his face.

>>><<<

Castiel walked next to Donna the whole morning, and he was again glad for her chattering. He was still feeling off, and he was more out of breath than usual. He cursed himself – just yesterday, he had thought he was toughening up, but now he just wanted to hide in a soft bed and sleep all day.

Dean even ordered a lunch break sooner than usual, and they stayed longer as well. No one said anything, but Castiel was sure they had all noticed how hard the journey was for him today. During the afternoon, Dean walked next to him. They did not talk much, but Castiel still somehow felt better. Like some of Dean’s strength was pouring into him. Which was of course ridiculous, but the alpha’s scent still made him feel lighter. However, Dean was behaving a little awkward himself. He had sniffed the air a couple of times, and once he even stumbled. Castiel tried to scent the air himself, but whatever Dean had noticed, Castiel could not make out anything unusual. He remembered how Sam had joked about Dean’s sensitive nose. For the first time, Castiel wondered if this had something to do with his Second Skin. Maybe the alpha was one of the large dogs Castiel had seen around the rebel camp. Squirrels had a good sense of smell as well. Castiel chuckled lightly. Despite – or rather because of – everyone’s teasing, he would now surely associate Dean with a little rodent for a long time to come. Or at least until he found out what the alpha leader really could turn into. Since Dean was comfortable to make fun of the idea himself, Castiel was sure his beast was something impressive. Maybe a wolf. Castiel could easily picture that.

He then nearly tripped over some roots and growled at himself. Again, his mind had been too occupied with Dean. The alpha looked at him in worry, but then he turned around and sniffed again, furrowing his brows in concentration.

“What’s wrong?” Castiel asked.

Dean shook his head dismissively. “I don’t know. I just… I could swear I smell something like Donna’s apple pie occasionally. Maybe I’m suffering from withdrawal symptoms. You know, I love that pie, and Donna doesn’t often have the time to make some.” He winked. Castiel tried to smile in response, but he felt a sudden stitch in his side and his face ended up in something closer to a grimace. This only had Dean frown again.

Castiel was relieved when they finally stopped at a clearing only half an hour later. Jack had done a quick scouting of their surroundings and explained: “There is a small village nearby, but with only a few houses. Even if they notice some travellers, they will likely leave us in peace.”

Everyone nodded. It was not the first time they camped near a small community, and they had never had any trouble before. It was Cesar and Jesse’s turn to try and hunt some food, and Claire said she needed to give her lynx a run. Donna and Jack started with the tents while Castiel still sat on a rock, daydreaming about that soft bed again.

He almost had not noticed when Dean approached him. “You look a little off. I’d say we start your training tomorrow.”

“Oh,” Castiel replied. He had completely forgotten about Dean’s promise in his fatigue. But now that he remembered, he did not want to postpone their training – he had looked forward to it. And he did not want to cancel their first session already. No matter how kindly everyone was treading him, Castiel still feared that they would lose their respect of him if he acted too much like a mollycoddled nobleman. And he did not want Dean to think Castiel was still embarrassed about this morning. Also, he had felt better with Dean nearby all day. So he tried to convince the alpha: “But I really wanted to. Maybe we could just --- do some light training…? Just repeat some moves Jody and Sam have shown me – so I will not forget.”

Dean looked at him with a calculating expression, then he shrugged. “All right. Come on then.”

>>><<<

And so Castiel found himself in close proximity with Dean, basically touching the man in all places – and he almost regretted his decision. If he had thought that surprising Dean in the water this morning had been embarrassing, it was nothing against being pressed against the alpha’s body while his own was suddenly breaking out in a sweat. And then, for some inscrutable reason, Castiel thought back to how Dean had looked in the water, with his short hair sticking out in all directions, and his chest glistening in the morning light – and Castiel felt his whole body flare up in a hot flash.

Dean let out a low growl, not nearly as playful as the ones he had made before when he had tried to tackle Castiel, and attacked the omega from behind. They were now basically pressed against each other front to back, and Castiel found it hard to concentrate. He almost forgot that they were in a training session – he just wanted to roll to the ground and bare his neck to Dean. But some part of his brain kicked in and convinced him that was a bad idea. With a soft grunt, Castiel tried to throw Dean to the ground instead, in a move Jody had taught him. _Strength is not as important as you might think_ , she had said.

But Dean did not budge; he chuckled. His mouth near Castiel’s ear, chest still tight against Castiel’s back.

“Ah, one of Jody’s favourite tricks. I’m afraid it doesn’t always work.”

Dean suddenly kicked against Castiel’s knee, not even forcefully but precise enough to make the omega’s leg give away, and Castiel and Dean landed on the ground together. The omega was on his back, Dean on top of him, holding both of Castiel’s hands down on either side of his face. Castiel looked up into laughing green eyes, and he thought he could count the freckles on Dean’s face in this position.

And then about a dozen things happened in just three heartbeats.

Castiel tipped his head to the side, exposing his throat to the alpha. Dean let out a low growl and buried his nose in Castiel’s neck. The feeling of a scruffy cheek rubbing over his sensitive skin sent shivers down Castiel’s body. The omega suddenly felt all too hot and wanting for something. He moved his hips upwards, because it seemed the right thing to do. One of Dean’s hands had moved down to Castiel’s thigh. Which also seemed very right.

There was a heady scent in the air, coming both from Castiel and Dean – and the omega felt his trousers became soaked.

It was that moment when his brain finally reported back to him.

His heat.

Castiel panicked and his scent was strong enough that he realised himself when his overly sweet note was turning bitter.

He also noticed that not only his own scent was all over the place. Dean’s smell was just as radiant. And it was wonderful. It smelled like pine and leather and _home_ and Castiel wanted to drown in it.

But suddenly, the wonderful weight on top of his body was gone. Instead, Dean was standing next to him with wide eyes and flared nostrils. Castiel let out a soft whine, hoping it would entice the alpha to come back to him.

But Dean only moved his hands into fists. Then he roared so loud that a few birds flew away from their hideouts in the trees around the pair.

“Donna!”

It took only a moment until Donna arrived, out of breath, glancing between the towering alpha and Castiel still on the ground, assessing the situation quickly.

“Oh bummer,” she said, a lot calmer than Castiel felt. “You,” she pointed at Dean, “leave.”

Instead of moving, Dean stared down at Castiel for long moments.

“Dean, go,” she repeated, more forcefully this time. “I’ll have Jack find you when it’s safe for you to come back. You’re only gonna make this more difficult if you stay here.”

Finally, Dean nodded. He turned around and was gone before Castiel fully realised it. The omega sat up, ready to follow Dean. The alpha could not just leave him here – he had to --- well, he had to do _something_.

“Nuh- uh.” Donna held him back with a hand on his shoulders. “No running after the alpha. And no chasing games in either direction. We need to take care of you two separately.” She chuckled weakly. “Honestly, Cas, it’s not your fault that you started a heat, but did you have to trigger a rut in Dean as well?”

Castiel just looked at her helplessly.

>>><<<

Having a heat and not being able to hide in his – very private – bedroom for two days was a horrible experience. One Castiel hoped never to repeat in his life. But he did not want to complain. His friends were behaving admirably. They had even changed their camping site a little to accommodate to the new situation.

Castiel now was left alone in a tent, with Donna and Jack sleeping in the other one nearby. Cesar and Jesse set up their sleeping place a bit further away, near enough to hear them if they shouted, but far enough away to grant Castiel the appearance of privacy.

Claire had offered to keep watch on the other side.

And Dean – well, Castiel did not really know where Dean was. He only knew he was not with him like his inner omega craved.

But Castiel knew he had to be grateful, and he was. He was lucky to be with this group of people. For one, other than Dean, his fellow travellers did not seem to be too affected by his heat. He knew that betas had not the same strong reaction to an omega’s heat as male alphas, but fertile omegas usually smelled inviting to them nonetheless. So Castiel was surprised how well Jesse and Cesar handled it. On the other hand, they did keep their distance, and it probably helped that they were mated – to each other, no less.

And Jack was surprisingly disinterested as well. He had almost buried his nose in Castiel’s neck once he and Donna had returned to the campsite, making Castiel wary for a second, but then the boy had looked to the ground, clearly shamed.

“I’m sorry, you just… you smell a lot like my mum…” His eyes widened. “I don’t mean because of the heat… you always smell like her. It’s just, your scent is so strong now, and I noticed they are really alike…” He had finally stopped babbling, and Castiel smiled softly at him. Maybe he should hug the boy more often; once his heat was over.

When Claire had returned from her run, she had simply scrunched up her nose and walked a few steps backwards.

“Where’s Dean?” had been her first words.

“In rut. Hopefully, he’s somewhere deep in the woods and won’t return for a couple of days,” Donna had replied.

Claire’s eyes had widened and for the first time since Castiel had met her, she seemed a little uncertain. But she had quickly offered to keep watch until their leader returned.

Cesar and Jesse had kept a wide distance from Castiel too as they left a rabbit and packed up a few things, doing everything possible to make this no more embarrassing for Castiel than necessary.

Donna, as another omega, of course had no problems with Castiel’s heat to begin with. And he was thankful, even more than usual, to have her around.

By the time Claire had packed up her things and some of the food, she had found her usual cheekiness again. She now seemed to think it was hilarious how their fearless leader needed to hide somewhere in the forest, because Castiel’s scent had triggered a rut. At least she did tell Castiel she felt sorry for him and not to worry. “It’s not your fault, really. A heat will not ask if the time is right before it hits.” Obviously, her amusement was solely fixated on Dean’s discomfort. And how his rut had started even before Castiel’s heat had fully peaked. “He’s probably humping against a tree right now, imagining it was you.”

Omegas went into heat twice a year – and their scents often triggered a rut in alphas. This meant that theoretically alphas could start a rut multiple times a year, or not at all for a long period of time. Supposedly, ruts instantly turned alphas into relentless creatures who just wanted to breed the omega. But Dean had not seemed aggressive at all. He had even left, after Donna’s warning.

Maybe he shouldn’t have, Castiel thought as he felt a cramp in his stomach, and he broke into a sweat again.

“Oh, Cassie, don’t listen to her,” Donna said, probably misreading Castiel’s pained expression. “Claire’s just still embarrassed about her first rut a few weeks ago. Kaia had started a surprise heat – and both Jody and Dean had kept the girls apart. Rightfully so. They might be in love, but they’re still too young to mate. And with Claire’s atypical – and very entertaining – declarations of devotion during her rut, it was obvious where this would have ended… Now, you should lie down. And, you know, take care of yourself. And don’t worry about making noise – the others should be too far away to hear you.”

Castiel was sure if he were not overheated already, his face would have turned beet red from those words alone.

>>><<<

Castiel spent an extremely uncomfortable night, followed by a no more pleasant day in his tent. Donna occasionally brought him something to drink and eat, even though Castiel was not hungry – but she insisted that he needed to keep his strength up. Castiel knew she was right, and he did not want to become any more of a liability than he already was. So he ate the bread and vegetables, but left the sausage on the plate. He did not want to vomit either.

When the sky turned dark again, Castiel started to feel mild relief. It would be another restless night, but at least he should be all right by the next morning. Exhausted maybe, but healthy. Fortunately, a heat usually lasted only about 24 to 30 hours. At least, when one did not spend it with an alpha – with a mate in rut, it could take more like a week. Not that Castiel had any first-hand experiences in that area.

Thinking about partners in rut had Castiel think about Dean again. Naturally. He had done so a lot those last two days, and he always felt guilty afterwards. But Dean had smelled so good when he had lied atop of him – every time Castiel touched himself and found release from his own hands, the image of Dean flashed up in his mind and had Castiel moan out. Sometimes it was that beautiful smile, sometimes it was him standing naked in the river, and sometimes it was only his scent that drove Castiel over the edge.

And then he made the mistake of imagining Dean doing the exact same thing right now. That he would think about Castiel as he was pleasuring himself.

Or maybe he had found a nearby town and was at some brothel with an unknown omega. It was something alphas did, wasn’t it?

Castiel suddenly felt furious, both at Dean and his potential rival.

Rival? Castiel scoffed. There was no rival. That would mean he was interested in Dean – and not just for his heat. But that could not be.

Could it?

Castiel decided that his fury only originated in the idea that Dean should suffer alone just as much as Castiel did. It would be unfair if this were more fun for Dean.

But Dean’s touch had made him tingle all over even before his heat, had it not? And Castiel was not so stupid to completely ignore the way he had reacted to every smile of Dean with one of his own.

Castiel sighed in frustration. His heat was not completely over yet, and he decided it would be healthier to try and figure out any – potential – feelings he had for Dean when he was more rational again. Instead of arguing whit himself about things he could not change, he tried to fall back to sleep – but that was when he noticed he needed to pee. He wanted to ignore it, but he already knew how that would end: He would try not to think about his urge for hours until he finally surrendered anyway. So he should save himself the trouble.

Castiel stepped out of the tent to find himself alone; it was eerily quiet, safe for the soft cooing of an owl. Donna and Jack were probably sleeping deeply in their own tent. The other omega had told Castiel to wake her, should he ever need something – and yes, she had even accompanied him a few steps the last times he had needed to urinate. But Castiel felt bad already; they all had lost over a day to his heat; he did not have to wake anyone in the middle of the night on top of that.

He knew roughly where each Claire and the beta mates camped and walked a few feet down in the middle way. Castiel relieved himself, and then turned around and walked back to the camp.

Or so he thought.

He had walked for a few minutes before he realised he should be back already – he had not gone that far away. Just enough to have some privacy. He tried to turn around again, but after another ten minutes, he concluded that he had only made it worse. He had no idea where he was, and in the dim light of the moon, everything looked the same.

He tried not to panic. He should probably just yell for help. Any of his comrades would quickly find him. It would be embarrassing, but at least he could get another few hours of sleep before dawn. And maybe it would even be Dean who found him. Castiel’s heartrate picked up at the thought, telling him that his heat was clearly not completely over.

And maybe the alpha would still smell as delicious as he had two days ago. And then ---

Something hard hit Castiel in the back and pushed him facedown to the ground. There was a hand on his mouth and a heavy weight pressing against him from behind, making it almost impossible for him to move.

“Look here, Barth, I told you I smelled something delicious.”

Castiel felt a tongue lick over his nape, and he screamed. But his voice was muffled by the hand of his attacker. A heavy boot stomped down next to his face, and Castiel realised there were at least two men. Strangers. Alphas. Smelling a lot more appalling than _his_ alpha.

“An omega in heat walking alone through the woods in the middle of the night? This really sounds too good to be true. But who am I to question the Shifter? I’ll have a ride first, and then you can get the leftovers.”

The weight on his back lifted a little, and Castiel noticed in horror that the man behind him tried to pull down Castiel’s pants. The omega did not hesitate though, knowing well that he only had a chance if he surprised his attacker quickly. He rolled around with full force and pushed his knee into his attacker’s crotch. Unfortunately, all it seemed to have accomplished was make the man angry. The alpha grabbed Castiel’s arms to keep him from moving again and sat on his thighs with an angry growl.

But at least Castiel’s mouth was free now and he yelled for help as loud as he could. He was not alone, and he had surely not walked that far – someone must have heard him. He just needed to fight his attackers off long enough for his friends to arrive.

Castiel had not even finished the thought when the alpha was suddenly lifted off him, dangling in the air, around his neck the massive claw of a --- a bear.

Castiel blinked a few times, because the image was so unexpected. His brain had still not caught up completely as the man fell to the ground, apparently dead. It had only taken a second. Castiel realised he should be even more frightened than before, but he had seen the beast’s eyes – and he would never be afraid of them. Even though they shone in bright fury right now. The other alpha, the one named Balth, let out a screech and ran in the opposite direction of the bear. The massive beast, taller than any man while standing upright, let himself fall down to all four paws and prepared to chase after the man.

But he was distracted when Castiel finally stood and managed to squeak: “Dean?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to be extra-clear this time: Yes, the bear really is Dean. (And now I feel kind of bad for NOT subverting stereotypes. ;-)
> 
> Also: Uh-oh – does this count as a cliffhanger?


	8. Chapter 8

EIGHT

The bear looked at Castiel then back at the man who was running away from them. The unknown alpha had managed to put some distance between him and the beast already, but Castiel was convinced that Dean could easily catch him in a few quick moves. He had never seen one in the flesh before, but Castiel had heard that bears could be surprisingly fast for something so bulky. Dean let out a low snarl, seemingly ready to pounce. But then Castiel looked at the dead man on the ground. And he remembered when Dean had told him he did not enjoy killing. The memory felt like a warm flame in Castiel’s chest.

So the omega said firmly: “Leave him, Dean. He won’t come back. I’m safe now.”

Castiel had chosen his words on instinct, and he was almost surprised when they worked. Dean fully turned to Castiel, who wished it were broad daylight so he could fully enjoy the sight of his alpha’s Second Skin. But even in the moonlit darkness, he looked beautiful. His fur was dark – if brown or black, Castiel could not tell – and even down on his front paws, he was about as tall as Castiel. Dean was one scary beast. But instead of shying away, Castiel reached out, and touched the bear’s head lightly. The fur felt rough and bristly. Nothing that invited cuddling with.

Castiel chuckled at his peculiar thought.

Dean tipped his head to the side in question, but Castiel just kept staring at him. And then the bear suddenly pushed his snout forwards and into the crook of Castiel’s neck. Castiel startled – he might not have been scared before but having such a massive beast pouncing on him had his heartrate pick up nonetheless. The next second, Dean was in his human form, nose pressed against Castiel’s skin. 

And it felt so, so good. Castiel let out a little cooing sound, which made Dean only move further against him. Dean, who was very, very naked, as some part of Castiel’s brain slowly realised. But this time, the omega did not feel like running away. Instead, Castiel moved a hand to the back of Dean’s head and stroked through soft hair – which was almost silky and a lot less rough than the bear’s. Obviously encouraged by the omega’s reaction, Dean licked his tongue over Castiel’s skin, sending a shiver down the omega’s back.

Castiel could feel a trace of slick running out of him, and Dean must have at least smelled it. The alpha let out a low rumbling sound and suddenly grabbed Castiel’s backside, pulling him even closer so that the pair was now truly pressed against each other. So much so that Castiel could feel an obvious hardness against his hip. It was delightful and his inner omega yipped happily at the knowledge that his alpha was reacting to him in such a way.

Castiel let out a soft moan. He had never been with an alpha before. Obviously. He was a royal omega – his most important attribute had always been his purity, at least according to his uncle. But he had never even been curious to engage in intercourse. Kissing, yes, he had wanted to try that out – but the rest had never sounded too pleasant. At least not when he was not in heat. He knew the basics, though. Thankfully, their governess had made sure that neither Hannah nor Castiel would enter matrimony completely ignorant of what was expected of them like so many other nobles. In their hideouts, when they had been watching the soldiers, he and Hannah had even peaked some glances at naked alphas and their … bits. They did not look too different from Castiel, even though he knew they could form knots which he could not. But Castiel had always wondered how it would all _fit_. It certainly did not seem comfortable, at least not for the omega. And from what he could feel right now, Dean was probably a lot bigger than Castiel himself. Slick was supposed to help, but Castiel was not sure how true that was.

After she had mated a far-away lord, Hannah had started to write Castiel long letters. She even sometimes hinted at her conjugal duties. But her explanations had been rather vague, and she had used descriptions like _it’s quite pleasant_. Which could mean anything, knowing Hannah. Castiel had concluded that she probably just did not want to scare him before _he_ was married. Besides, she was a beta _and_ a woman. Maybe that meant it was utterly different for her anyway.

Castiel had seen horses, though. The mares never looked too happy.

But as Dean was pressed against him now, Castiel was suddenly very curious to try it himself. To see how it all worked. And Dean smelled so nice, a little pain might not be too high a price to keep him close. Besides, right now, Castiel felt heavenly. With Dean’s lips still on his neck, the alpha’s arms roaming up and town his back, occasionally squeezing his butt.

“Cas,” Dean moaned, his voice rough and deep.

The alpha pulled back a little to look down at Castiel, but their chests were still pressed together. His expression was hard to read in the dark of the night no matter how good Castiel’s eyes were, but when Dean licked his lips, Castiel leaned towards him involuntarily, trying to get a taste of Dean for himself.

“Castiel! There you are!”

Before Castiel could react, Dean had already put some distance between them, looking at Castiel with wide eyes, like he had just woken up from some dream.

Castiel turned his head to the side to see Donna and Claire standing a few feet away. He had to suppress a growl. Castiel loved those two women, but right now, he wished them to the moon.

“We heard you scream,” Claire said, and even thought it was dark and she was standing a few metres away, Castiel could swear he still saw her smirk. “We thought you were in trouble, but I guess you --- reconsidered.”

Donna seemed less amused. She walked towards them with a stern expression. Castiel was reminded of his governess when she thought he had done something especially _untoward_. But Claire chuckled: “Oh come on, Donna, let them have some fun. It’s their decision.”

“No. Castiel is in heat.” She turned to said omega. “What were you thinking? Sneaking out like that for some secret rendezvous. You could get pregnant and this is really not the right time for you to have a pup, is it? And you!” She pointed an angry finger at a continuously very naked Dean and walked towards the alpha with a scowl. But before she could continue her rant, she stumbled over something on the ground. It was a leg of the dead alpha. She looked at it for a long second. Then turned back to the pair, her voice completely different this time, gentle and worried: “What happened here?”

“I… ah… I needed to relieve myself, and I didn’t want to bother you in the middle of the night for something as trifle as that. But I somehow got lost on the way back. And then … and then…” Castiel swallowed, suddenly unable to go on. It dawned on him what had almost happened, if Dean had not been here so quickly. Castiel felt cold all of a sudden, until there was a warm hand on his back. Dean had walked up to him again, and the alpha let out a low whine before he turned to Donna.

“Two alphas attacked him. I was nearby and heard Castiel scream. We fought them off. Or rather: One ran away and the other --- well, you just stumbled over him. I was just … comforting Castiel before he would return to the camp. Nothing happened.”

“Comforting, my ass,” Claire muttered.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Castiel.” Donna patted his shoulder. “That must have been horrible for you. We knew there was a village nearby, but for two alphas to walk through the forest in the middle of the night… I’m sorry we weren’t more vigilant.” Then her tone suddenly turned stern. “Next time, you wake me up, no matter the hour. But you should be out of heat in a couple of hours anyway. Let’s return to camp and get back to sleep. Jesse and Cesar can keep watch in case the townspeople decide to go on a bear hunt.” She pointedly looked at Dean. “And maybe tomorrow, we’ll be able to continue our journey. At least we should get away from the village before next nightfall.”

Castiel nodded, but he made no move away from Dean. Mostly because the alpha had snugged a hand around his hip and was now pressing Castiel to his side, a very protective gesture. It was not tight enough that Castiel would not have been able to wiggle away easily – but he simply did not want to. It felt good, safe. And _safe_ was a great way to feel after what had just happened.

Donna sighed. “Dean. He is all right. He’ll be with friends. You should both get a couple more hours of sleep, and then everything will be back to normal.” She scrunched up her nose. “Besides, you stink.”

Castiel involuntarily let out a soft growl at those last words – Dean did not stink. He smelled absolutely delightful.

The alpha quickly turned his head and sniffed at Castiel’s neck again, then he let go of the omega abruptly, so Castiel almost stumbled, his legs oddly weak.

“Allrighty,” said Donna, and led Castiel back to the camp. She had an arm around his shoulder, which felt nice if not as good as Dean’s had.

They were followed by a still smirking Claire. Again, Castiel did not need to see it to know the expression was there.

>>><<<

Back at his tent, Castiel pleasured himself again. He had not expected it, had feared he would be tense and afraid once he was alone, but the only thing he could think about was how Dean had felt pressed against him. How good he had smelled giving out an overload of pheromones. Castiel moaned out his release with three fingers in his hole, imagining it were Dean’s. And this time, he refused to feel ashamed for it.

But that certainly changed, once the sun was up, his heat finally over, and the campsite again full of all his companions. Dean had joined them only as they had started moving again. And Castiel tried his hardest not to meet the alpha’s gaze. As it turned out, it was fairly easy, because Dean seemed to stay away from him just as much. But it was not only the two of them who behaved awkwardly; there was now a tension among the whole group. Jesse and Cesar exchanged worried glances after they looked from Castiel to Dean and back again. Donna was overly cheery – so much so that she started to get on everyone’s nerves. Jack seemed somehow disappointed. Only Claire acted highly amused – but since no one reacted to her quips, she soon turned grumpy.

Castiel’s mood darkened with every step. Something had changed between Dean and him, and he did not like it. Well, he might have liked it for things to change, but not in the way it had turned out. He had started a strange friendship with the rebel leader, and he was scared it was now ruined. But their relationship felt completely different to Castiel. And not just because of his heat. That only added to the embarrassment.

But now that Castiel was not pumped up with hormones anymore, he could look at things more level-headed. And he admitted to himself that he had developed a crush on Dean. It felt unusual; Castiel had never been in love before, so he had not really known what to expect. Hannah had been in love at least once a month. But it had only taken her a second to fall for someone, then she had gushed how perfect this or that alpha was for days, and after a few weeks she had all but forgotten about them. What Castiel felt for Dean had happened slower, although he admittedly had only known the alpha for a few weeks, and he did not believe it would just vanish after a good night’s sleep. He also did not think Dean was perfect. Well, he was a great leader and a wonderful person – Castiel would hardly have fallen for him if he thought differently – but he could just as much see that Dean was sometimes short-tempered, and not too fond of thinking things through before acting.

Castiel sighed and then felt Jack watch him with a worried expression. But Castiel could not stop to spin and twist and overthink every aspect of Dean’s and his relationship in his head.

Judging from the way Dean had ignored him all day, Castiel was sure he was the only one who felt anything more --- tender. And that was all right, probably. What could come out of a fugitive prince and a rebel leader anyway?

But if he could not move _forward_ with Dean, Castiel at least wanted their relationship to go _back_ where it had been before – to the teasing, and the open conversations. He wanted to know more about Dean’s past, about what made him act the way he did. And he wanted to tell the alpha more about his own life. He wanted to make more plans about that new kingdom they tried to create together. About the future. Like they had done before.

By the time the group found a place to stay another night, Castiel had decided that he and Dean could at least _pretend_ to be as they were. Maybe Dean was just embarrassed. They had been in heat and rut – the fact that Dean had rubbed himself all over Castiel last night probably meant nothing to the alpha. He just did not know how to treat Castiel after that rush of passion was over. It was probably only Castiel who felt like he would very much like to repeat it outside of his heat. Point was, Dean should not feel uncomfortable for something he had done during his rut. And he had not even really done much more than nibble at Castiel’s neck. While he was naked.

Castiel shook his head determinedly. He would do something to change the strange silence between them.

So when Claire was away to hunt and Cesar and Jesse went off to try to fish – an idea Dean was not very excited about; he obviously preferred to eat some game – Castiel walked up to Dean with a tense smile on his face. He hoped it did not look as forced as it felt.

“Are you ready to train?”

There. Best pick up where they had left before this whole debacle had started. It would show Dean that Castiel was not weirded out by their previous interactions, and that everything could just go back to where it had been.

“Train?” Dean looked at him like Castiel had talked in a foreign language.

“Yes. You promised to help me fight, remember?”

“U-huh,” Dean said. Donna snorted. And Jack added: “That’s a great idea, Castiel. It’s really important to stay in training. Especially after last…” He turned pink. “…you know,” Jack finished weakly.

Dean turned towards Jack: “You’re right. We should probably spare together, all three of us. You’ve not trained in some time as well.”

Castiel frowned. Maybe it would be a good idea to have someone around who could act as a buffer. It might be less awkward that way.

But Jack replied: “Oh… uh… I wanted to scout the territory.”

Dean narrowed his eyes at Jack. “You just did that an hour ago.”

“I know, but… after what happened last time… Better check twice, you know.”

Strangely, Dean seemed to accept that excuse. Granted, Jack had smelled of guilt the whole day because his “non-threatening villagers” had turned out to be anything but. On the other hand, he had said there was no one around for miles this time, and checking again felt stupid. Dean did not seem to think so, however. He let out an approving snort and walked away. After a few steps, he stopped, turned around and looked at Castiel. “Well?”

The omega hurried to follow.

An hour later, Castiel was happy he had suggested they should train together. It had started a little awkward: Dean had hardly touched him, which made sparing pointless, and anytime he did, Castiel had felt all hot again. They had worked through it, though. In the end, Castiel had even managed to throw Dean to the ground in an improved version of Jody’s trick, and as they walked back to the camp, their interactions felt more natural and comfortable again. During dinner, the tension had lifted from the whole group.

“You know, you could have just talked to him,” Donna said to Castiel after they had retired to their tent, together again. “I know Dean never volunteers to open up about his feelings, but I expected _you_ to be better at this.” She sighed. “I guess your way worked as well. For now.”

Castiel was not quite sure what the other omega was talking about – did she mean their embarrassing interactions during Castiel’s heat or had she noticed Castiel’s deeper feelings for the alpha? In any case, Castiel did not feel like discussing this subject while they were only parted by flimsy cloth from the rest of their group. So he only chuckled in response, feeling light-hearted now that things felt a little more amiable with Dean once more.

>>><<<

Ten days on the road, constantly moving, training sessions in the evening, and even a heat thrown into the mix eventually gnawed on Castiel. He had even volunteered to their new system of rotating sentry duties last night – happy to grant Dean a few hours of sleep. But now he was even more tired, his feet had blisters, and there were soft bruises all over his body. And he wanted to eat something other than grilled rabbit, dried sausages or oatmeal for a change.

He did not complain, though. No one else seemed to share his struggles and he did not want to come off as the spoiled prince. But he was starting to daydream about finally arriving at Gabriel’s castle about every thirty minutes. Castiel was not even interested if his uncle would follow their cause right now – something he felt very guilty about – but even if he refused to help them, at least Castiel would be able to sleep in a real bed for a couple of nights. And he knew fully well that Gabriel was partial to expensive foods and sweet delicacies. Maybe there would even be chocolate. He remembered the box of coated almonds Gabriel had sent him for his last birthday.

Castiel moaned out loudly. His face then turned pink as both Claire and Dean looked at him funnily.

“Sorry, I just thought about… something.”

“Yeah, must be something – mouth-watering,” Claire snickered.

Dean hit the back of her head playfully. Bus his face looked almost as flushed as Castiel’s felt.

“How long do you think it will take until we arrive at Loki?” Castiel asked Dean, partly out of real interest, partly to keep Claire from poking more fun at him. Her language had turned noticeably lewd since his heat, but Castiel realised that she only made those remarks around Dean. Which did not help, of course. He might have been able to react far more laid-back without Dean around.

“Maybe two days. We should cross the border before nightfall. And then --- we just have to keep northward until we reach the castle. But I am not sure if it will be one day or two.”

Castiel nodded. They had lost some time due to his heat and Dean’s rut. Even after Castiel was out of it, he has still been weakened and slower than before. But they were still not behind schedule. Dean had explained that they had already planned with a few delays. A long journey like that was hardly ever made without complications, he had said. It had made Castiel feel a lot better.

“Will there be trouble at the border?”

“No. At least I don’t think so. There is unclaimed territory behind it and our informants told us it is hardly ever watched by Michael’s men in this area.”

Unfortunately, as it turned out, Dean’s assumptions were not true.

The alpha was the first to notice something was wrong. He suddenly growled lowly and the whole group stopped at once. Castiel could see Dean sniffing the air which made him look a little strange, but everyone was too tense to laugh. Then Dean nodded at Jack, who immediately vanished behind a tree. The rest of them waited, completely silent, and Castiel had to swallow down his rising fear. He had not yet seen Dean or his other companions so nervous.

For the first time during their journey, Jack came back from his scouting breathless and white-faced. He had only pulled up some leather pants after his change and hurried towards Dean.

“What is it?” Dean’s voice was more like a growl. Castiel could see the angry bear behind it.

“Soldiers. They are wearing King Michael’s emblem on their clothes. They look more like commoners than trained guards, though. But they are headed exactly in our direction.”

“How many?” Donna asked.

“A dozen.”

Dean cursed.

“We got four fighters, so that means three for each. Not easy but we should be able to handle it, especially when they are no real guards of the royal army,” Claire mumbled. “We should attack first, surprise them.”

Dean shot her an irritated look. “Maybe not impossible, but still dangerous. We cannot risk our mission…”

“But---”

Dean snarled. “You’re too reckless, Claire. And don’t forget we still have three people to protect. Keeping someone safe is a lot harder than killing.”

“Hey!” Donna bristled. “I can hold my own, you know that.”

Castiel silently agreed with her. He had sometimes seen her spar with Claire, and Donna seemed almost as capable as Jody. He did not say anything though. Dean did not need anyone else arguing with him as well – their situation was too dangerous right now. He also felt embarrassed. No matter how much he had trained the last few weeks – he was still new at fighting, and he definitely would be in need of someone protecting him against seasoned soldiers.

Dean looked like he wanted to bark at Donna, or Claire, while Cesar and Jesse just stood there, simply waiting for orders. But then Dean’s head whipped to the side and he let out another curse.

“Too late now anyway.”

Castiel concentrated, and he could hear some noise coming their way. Like a group of soldiers walking through the open forest.

“Cas, listen.” Dean suddenly turned towards the omega, who startled a little. “We’ll try something else first, but --- your animal, will it allow you to flee easily?”

Castiel nodded. But then he cocked his head to the side. “I won’t leave you. You’re my … you’re my friends. I will not run away while you’re faced with danger,” he replied, completely forgetting about his intention of _not_ arguing with Dean.

“Cas, this is not the right moment for misplaced loyalty or heroism. You are the heart of this mission.” He pointed a finger to the sky, northwards. “You just keep going in this direction. Your beast will probably help you, so listen to it. We will try to meet you in Loki, but the most important thing right now is that you get to Gabriel. Try to convince him. And if that fails --- at least you’re safe.”

Castiel grinded his teeth, but when Dean just stared him down, he eventually dropped his gaze and gave a jerky nod. He was not happy though. It felt wrong to leave his friends behind – on the other hand, Dean had a point. It was crucial that at least one of them arrived at Loki. And maybe, if he hurried, Castiel would even manage it in one change.

All too soon, the group of would-be soldiers arrived. Jack had been right; they did not look so much as well-trained fighters as they did like bullies who had recently been offered some coin in exchange for an emblem. Most of them still looked haggard, their expressions mean. The shiny breastplate on their leader seemed to be the only precious item in their gear, and as it glistened in the sunlight it caught the attention if Castiel’s Other. It had a preference for glittering things – and was constantly disappointed of Castiel for never wearing any jewellery.

“Who are you and what are you doing in the forest of King Michael? No one is allowed to wander outside their units.” The big leader proclaimed. Then he looked them over one by one. “And there are no hunters allowed in this part of the forest either.”

They all kept quiet and their gaze to the ground, like Dean had ordered. Leaving the alpha to deal with the soldiers first.

“We are just merchants, great soldier, on our way to sell some fur in Loki.”

“You don’t look like merchants.”

Dean cursed under his breath, but Castiel admitted the excuse had been pretty bad. They did not look like merchants, at all. But neither of their group had been able to come up with a better pretence. So Dean tried it with his next-best option.

He slowly reached to his belt, not to startle the soldiers, and pulled a handful of coins out from a pocket. “I’m sure great soldiers like you have more important things to take care of than a group of merchants. One sterling for each of your men, and a gold coin for you, commander – in exchange, you let us cross the border. You’ll never see or hear from us again.”

The broad alpha paused, and Castiel could see that some of his men seemed more than a little bit tempted by Dean’s proposal. But then the bulky leader frowned.

“No. By the order of King Michael, no one is allowed to pass the border.” Castiel wondered if the man was more honourable than he looked, or if he was just really scared of any repercussions from his king if Michael ever found out he had let someone through. “You are arrested until the King’s guard will arrive.”

“Arrive? I thought you noble men were the King’s Guard, commander,” Dean’s tone had lowered and Castiel noticed that both Cesar and Jesse tensed, ready to pounce.

The soldiers were obviously flattered by the alpha’s words, no matter how Castiel thought Dean had laid it on too thick. But they relaxed a little, some even chuckled and still looked at the coins with greed.

And Dean used the moment to attack. Castiel had not noticed any secret signal, but Dean, Claire, Jesse and Cesar pounced at the soldiers at the same time.

It was a confusing blur of a fight. Donna kicked someone and pulled her knife out. Jack pulled a heavy pot from his backpack over someone’s head. But another fighter punched Jack directly in the face, who then landed on the ground. Cesar cried out in pain as a knife landed in his side while he had been focused on the leader. The soldiers were not really skilled, even Castiel could see that much, but they made up for it in number and strength, as they were all alphas.

It looked like Claire had indeed been too hopeful with her outlook.

Like he had promised their leader, Castiel tried to hide at the sideline, keeping out of the fight as much as possible. But he was still attacked by two men, and Dean threw himself in front of him, punching one alpha in the gut while the other one left a cut on Dean’s shoulder.

The rebel leader gritted out towards Castiel: “Change form. Whatever it is, go straight to your uncle. We’ll find you.”

Castiel hesitated. He could not leave his comrades alone. But he had agreed to Dean’s plan.

Dean looked insistently at Castiel, hardly noticing when someone bumped into him.

And Castiel nodded in defeat. He would not be any help in this form anyway.

A second later, his beast crawled out of the pile of clothes on the ground, and Castiel soared into the sky, wings spread wide.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always: I love hearing from you! <3


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, lovelies! Just so you know: I’m really sorry but I’ll probably update less regularly the next few weeks/months. I have a new position at my job – which isn’t a bad thing per se, but pretty time-consuming right now. And after staring at a screen for 12-14 hours every day, I’m just mostly too exhausted to do basically the same thing in my free time. So, new chapters will now take more like 2-3 weeks or so and/or will probably be shorter. I hope you don’t lose interest that way.

NINE

For a few blessed seconds, Castiel forgot all about his surroundings. He forgot his friends were in danger, forgot that he was supposed to fly to Gabriel for help and even that he was a royal omega, entangled in a rebellion against his own uncle. Castiel did not think about anything for one wonderful moment; he only felt the wind beneath his wings and the warmth of the sun on his black and white feathers as he soared high into the sky.

The feeling was just as exhilarating as it had been the first time many years ago. Nothing could ever compare to flying. He always felt free and on top of all of his troubles, quite literally. Castiel did not personally know another shifter who could turn into any form of bird – it was quite rare, and some even considered it a bad omen. Birds were just too different from humans, they would say, that flying was _unnatural_ , even for shifters. Castiel was confident enough to believe that everyone who thought that way was just jealous. As they should be. Flying was something else. Every time either Michael or Lucifer had infuriated him in the past, Castiel had at least tried to escape the palace in form of his magpie – and forget all about his worries as he looked down on the world from up high. Where everyone as much as all his problems seemed incredibly small.

But today was different.

This time, when Castiel looked down on the world from his lofty position, he did not feel carefree at all, quite the opposite.

Circling in the air over his friends and Michael’s soldiers, he saw Dean fight off three opponents at once, barely managing to avoid their swords. The alpha must have turned into his bear about the same time as Castiel had shifted, and the prince wished he had more time to appreciate Dean’s Second Skin. His coat was of a dark brown, but shimmering in the sunlight, there was a reddish glow to it that Castiel had not expected. When the beast let out a loud snarl and suddenly bit into a soldier’s throat, Castiel had to avert his gaze though. He concentrated on his other friends, still circling over them. Still unsure about what he should do next. He was surprised to see that Claire was in human form and had obviously trouble to fight off the leader of the soldiers. Her sleeve was blood-red, indicating that she might be too wounded to shift. Jack had somehow managed to stumble to his feet again, and looked to the sky, towards Castiel. Cesar and Jesse were fighting against three soldiers together, while Donna had managed to disarm her opponent, who seemed shocked that he was about to lose against a supposedly weak omega.

It broke Castiel’s heart to leave his friends behind, but he had a duty. And even though he had switched sides, he still took his responsibilities seriously. Castiel started to fly north, forcing himself to avert his sharp eyes from his companions and instead concentrated on the route ahead. He understood that he was no help in a fight anyway, but he still felt like a coward. However, his feelings were unimportant now. He probably could not uphold this form for more than an hour. Better make it count. He should not hesitate any longer but try to reach Loki in one flight. It would be difficult if he had to stop and change before he reached Gabriel – because he could bring no bag, not even clothes, with him. It would be difficult to explain to anyone that he was a royal prince looking for his uncle, when they found him naked in the bushes.

A loud cry deflected Castiel from his endeavour. He looked back down again – just one last time, he promised himself – and saw Jack fall to the ground. The boy then lay silent and motionless on the hard forest floor. Claire still had troubles to fight off the leader, and Jesse almost couldn’t block the blow of a sword, tumbling backwards. Dean let out an angry snarl that echoed through the forest, probably making any animal run as fast and far away as they could.

Castiel closed his eyes for half a second, reaching for something inside him.

Dean had told him to get to Loki, to persuade Gabriel to join the rebels and help them create a better world. But Dean had also told him to listen to his Other. And thank the Shifter, Castiel’s beast seemed to agree with the prince.

_Turn around_ , it told him. _Fight_.

Castiel was glad that he was obviously not alone in his sudden resolve. He could not abandon his friends, not now. Not while they were losing.

And so, instead of fleeing north, Castiel glided down and flew right towards the leader of the soldiers. He aimed with his beak at the alpha’s right eye, and while the man cried out in pain, brandishing his large arms in an attempt to get rid of the attacking bird, Claire used the moment and stabbed him with her dagger in the side. Castiel did not wait around to watch what happened next – Claire obviously had gained the upper hand – but he flew to the next soldier, a man fighting against Cesar, and scratched his claws along the head of the attacker. Just like with Claire’s opponent before, the man was distracted long enough for Cesar to react. The beta punched him directly in the face, knocking him out effectively, and then hurried to help his mate. 

Castiel felt an uproar of confidence in his chest. He might not be able to fight like his friends did, at least not with fists and knifes, might not be able to beat someone down with a strong paw like Dean did right now, but he could still _help_. He was not completely useless in a fight. He even liked to think that it was partly because of him when, a few minutes later, Michael’s soldiers were defeated by the rebels.

About half of them managed to crawl away and neither Dean nor anyone else of their group tried to follow them. Cesar helped Jesse up, while Castiel immediately turned to his alpha. Dean, still in his animal form, stared at the omega who had landed on a branch next to him. Their gazes locked, and Castiel regretted that he did not know enough about bears to even start to comprehend the alpha’s expression. He thought he could make out anger though – but hopefully that was just a remnant from the fight – but there was also something close to --- awe. Castiel surely only imagined that Dean thought his animal form even remotely as impressive as Castiel believed Dean’s to be. Still, he could not help himself but spread his wings slightly and quivering his feathers a little. An unconscious attempt to get Dean to appreciate them. And even though Dean could not know much about magpie’s courting rituals, the alpha let out a low rumble that pleased Castiel.

But the magic was broken when they suddenly heard a pained sob. Castiel cocked his head to the other side and saw Donna kneeling on the floor next to Jack. The boy still lay on the ground in the same position Castiel had seen him from up in the sky. Donna raked her hands over his body, stopping here and there to check for a pulse and breathing. She seemed frantic, which had Castiel worry even more. There was no blood nor any other wounds to be seen, but that didn’t have to say anything. A hard blow to the head could be just as dangerous as a knife. Castiel felt cold dread and shame rivalling in his gut. How could he have forgotten about the boy over his unexpected pride after the fight? He should have looked after the boy right away – but no, instead he had puffed out his feathers in an obvious attempt to entice Dean.

Castiel thought that Dean might have similar feelings. The rebel leader had changed to his human form in a blink and was now kneeling right next to Donna.

“Jack!” Claire yelled, and hurried towards the group, but stopped at a safe distance as if she were scared to wake Jack up. Like he was just asleep. Cesar and Jesse stayed a little away from them as well, looking just as scared as the rest while Castiel realised he himself could not do much more than stare in shock.

They could not lose Jack. The boy was too sweet and gentle. He was the last of them who deserved to die like this.

“Jack,” Dean growled, sounding more furious than worried. But for some those feelings lay close together. The alpha shoved Donna to the side and grabbed Jack’s shoulders, shaking the boy in a way that would probably never be advised by any healer. Sure enough, it earned the alpha an upset “Dean, stop that!” from Donna. But Dean did not stop. Instead, he grabbed Jack even more firmly and held the boy’s face to his neck, both of them sitting in an awkward position on the ground.

But even though Donna still glared at him, Dean’s unorthodox way seemed to be working. After a few seconds, Castiel saw Jack’s hand grip Dean’s forearm as the boy pushed his nose further into Dean’s neck, eyes still closed, but moving at last, obviously still alive. Castiel was not sure what had happened, but he was reminded of some stories he had heard about shifters who had lived in close-knit packs in the past, where members could lend each other strength. But Jack probably just liked Dean’s scent as much as Castiel did. The omega was almost sure that it could wake _him_ from the dead.

Or maybe Jack had not been that wounded to begin with.

Whatever it was, when he saw the young beta finally move, Castiel let out a sigh of relief and shifted into his human form in the same moment. It had not been a conscious decision, but neither had he felt like his strength to stay in animal form had given out. Castiel did not dwell on it but stumbled towards Jack, not even realising that he was just as naked as Dean. He sat down on Jack’s other side, laying a hand on his shoulder, and startled when the boy suddenly changed his position so that his nose was suddenly buried into Castiel’s neck instead of Dean’s. The omega stroked over the boy’s head and let out some soft cooing sounds.

Castiel was not sure if they sat there for mere seconds, minutes or hours, but he finally felt the tension leave both his and Jack’s body and their hug became less desperate.

“You really smell like my mom,” Jack whispered.

Castiel chuckled lowly. Jack pulled back a little and looked around, seemingly confused. “What happened?”

Donna and Dean – who had somehow managed to get back into a pair of pants – let out a relieved laugh. Even Cesar and Jesse exhaled soundly. Just Claire still stood a few feet away, unusually quiet.

Then Jack saw the slain soldiers on the ground and his eyes widened. He straightened into a sitting position, his eyes round. “We got attacked.” Then his hand moved to the back of his head. “Someone knocked me over, I think.”

“We feared we lost you,” Donna said as she grabbed his hand. Castiel felt something warm at his back and turned around to look directly into the rebel leader’s eyes. Dean had pulled a blanket around him. The omega blushed. Until a second ago, he had not even been aware of his nudity, but now that he was aware of it, he was glad he had something to cover himself up. He still was not as comfortable with a naked body as the rest of his companions seemed to be. Dean responded to his grateful smile with a little crinkle around his eyes. Then the alpha looked down at Jack with a soft expression.

“You really scared us there, kid. How are you feeling?”

“Like I want to throw up. Multiple times.” But then Jack tried to scramble to his feet – he had no chance though, as Donna held him back with a firm grip. “I mean… I can go on. It’s just a headache and I’m a little dizzy. But nothing serious. You don’t have to wait up for me.”

Dean exchanged a worried look with Donna. Then he ruffled Jack’s hair.

“Don’t worry about that right now, kid.”

The alpha turned to Castiel, his brows drawn together. Castiel straightened and opened his mouth to respond to Dean’s reprimand for breaking his promise that would sure come. And the omega was not so sure he had done the right thing anymore. Maybe his friends would have been able to save themselves without his help.

But instead of scolding him, the alpha said: “Thank you.” Dean then chuckled, undoubtedly a response to Castiel’s disbelieving look. “I still think you should have gone and saved you own hide, but I’m grateful for the help.”

He looked at the dumbfounded Castiel a moment longer, lost in thought. A groan came from a few metres away and everyone turned to the soldier on the ground. Castiel held his breath, but it didn’t look like the man had woken up completely. Still, the prince was reminded that they were far from safe. Maybe the fled soldiers would come back with reinforcement any moment. He turned back to Dean, like the rest of their group, waiting for instructions.

“We need to move quickly,” Dean said, and everyone nodded. That much was obvious. “We’ll split up.” That got more of a reaction; they all tensed up.

“Cas and I will go on to Loki. The rest of you, you need to move away from here as quickly as possible. Find some place to hide. Then move back to the camp after you have rested.”

“No! I can walk! This is nothing. I’m fine. Really.”

Castiel frowned. He was used to such nonsense from Claire, but he had thought that Jack was smart enough to back down when he wasn’t well. On the other hand, he always seemed anxious to disappoint Dean – and he was still so proud that he had been chosen for this mission in the first place.

But Dean silenced Jack with just one look. “It’s safer for us to move forwards in a small group anyway. None of us will be able to shift for a day at least and we need to be gone from here before those soldiers return with back-up. Two of us might be able to sneak to Loki. Now that there’s someone looking for us, it might be harder to spot us when we’re on our own. I just hope the rest of you will find a hiding place until you…”

“There is a cave just a little way back. It’s almost unnoticeable from the outside but should be big enough for five people. I found it on my first scout this morning,” Jack said in a small voice, like he had admitted defeat. It was obvious that he felt guilty for having their group split up. But Castiel agreed with Dean. It would be easier to go on with just the two of them. And Jack needed to rest, just as much as others of their group. Castiel slowly realised that he and Dean seemed to be the only ones who had hardly a scratch on them.

There was suddenly movement all around. Donna had brough a blanket and barked something at Jesse who returned a moment later with two thick and long branches. Donna seemed to be building some sort of stretcher. In the meantime, Cesar pulled some food out of his backpack and handed dried sausages and apples first to Jack, then Castiel.

“Eat. You need to restore your strength after that shift.”

Castiel welcomed the food – he could already feel the familiar fatigue that always gripped him after a Change. And since Dean wanted to leave as soon as possible – Castiel had a feeling this would be a long day.

Dean accepted his own food with a grunt, and then turned to Claire who was still standing in a tense position. She took a bite from her own share but seemed strangely distant. She had not even checked on Jack yet, which Castiel thought was strange.

“Claire.” Her head twitched to Dean like she had not heard him approach. “I need you to get Jack and the others to that cave. Hide. As soon as you think it’s safe enough, you go back home. We will meet you there once Cas and I return from Loki.” He paused. “You’re in charge now.”

Claire’s eyes widened. She looked at her hand, where she still held onto her bloodied dagger, and then to the leader of the soldiers who lay lifeless on the ground. Castiel had thought she was in shock because of Jack, but now he was not so sure anymore. It occurred to him that despite her tough talk, she had maybe never killed anyone before. Or maybe she was still trying to cope with the fact that she might as well have been the one on the forest floor right now.

“But I… I don’t think I can…” she stammered. “If Castiel hadn’t come back…and then I … I had to…”

“Hey. Claire.” When she looked back up at him, Dean pulled her into an abrupt hug. It broke Castiel’s heart to see her slump against Dean in a way she would have never allowed herself before. At the same time, Castiel was happy that she accepted the comfort her alpha could offer. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Claire. You protected yourself and your friends. I wish we had more time right now, but I need you to keep going. I need you to keep them safe. Don’t engage in any other fight if you can avoid it. Wait until you are all well rested – maybe even until both you and Jack can shift again, if the hide-out proves to be safe enough. Keep watch constantly but change shifts – you all need to sleep. Including you.” Dean looked at Castiel over Claire’s head for a moment, then he added with a soft smile: “You’re no use to them if you die from exhaustion, you know.”

Castiel let out a low chuckle.

Dean still held Claire for another minute and Castiel contemplated that the alpha had done just as much for his pack with hugs than by fighting off Michael’s soldiers. The alpha would make a good father, Castiel suddenly thought. He could instantly see Dean with a small boy in his arms – one with soft freckles spread over his face, and startling blue eyes. Castiel felt warmth spread from his chest upwards over his face. He inwardly shook his head at himself. Having a crush on the infamous rebel leader was one thing, but imagining a family with Dean was taking it a little too far.

To distract himself from his dangerous thoughts – and because he was starting to feel the cold – Castiel walked behind a treeline and put his clothes back on. When he returned to his friends, Dean and Donna were rearranging their provisions and tools, so it would now suit their two smaller groups. Jack still sat on the floor and looked at the stretcher that had been laid down next to him like he wanted to set it on fire with his glare.

Castiel moved towards him and smiled softly. “You will be up in no time, Jack, I am sure of it. But for now, you should declare defeat against Donna.”

Jack sighed. “I wish I could come with you. Instead, I’m holding everyone back.”

“No, you’re not. Claire and Jesse are hurt themselves and they need to take a rest as much as you do. They are just in a position that they can hide it better, because no one knocked _them_ unconscious. And I am sure Dean would have made our group split up anyway. It’s a good plan.” Jack didn’t look too happy, so Castiel added: “And maybe we will be fast enough to catch up with you on our way back, and we can return to the camp together.”

Jack nodded reluctantly. Then he looked intently at Castiel. “You know, my mom could turn into a blackbird.”

Castiel was strangely touched by those words. He had never met another shifter with feathers, and that fact made him inexplicably lonely at times. He would have liked to share the feeling of flying with someone who understood.

“I wish I could have met her.”

“So do I.” Jack cocked his head to the side. “Maybe the scent is just similar with all birds,” he mused. “I could see you, you know. Just before I blacked out. You’re quite beautiful.”

Castiel was not sure how to respond to that so he settled for a simple: “Thank you.”

It was way too soon when Cesar and Donna heaved Jack on the stretcher and Dean stopped next to the omega: “Ready, Cas?”

He nodded, only now fully realising he would be alone with Dean for at least another day. Maybe longer. He just hoped he had no more daydreams about any children that looked like a mixture of the two of them.

Jesse and Cesar both patted Castiel on the back as a send-off while Donna and Jack – a little awkwardly as he was still on the floor – hugged him tightly.

Claire seemed unsure for a moment, but then she embraced him too.

“Take care, Cas.” Then she winked at him and whispered. “At least the two of you have some privacy now, if you know what I mean.”

Castiel was still searching for a witty response when he heard Dean: “Come one, Cas. I’d rather be over the boarder before we need to lay down for the night. Or we will hardly be able to sleep.”

Claire chuckled one last time, and Castiel hoped his face was not as flushed as it felt when he finally turned to Dean. He pulled his own backpack up and then walked up to the alpha leader.

The others were already mowing away in the other direction. When Castiel looked back again, they had already vanished down a trail, even though he could still hear their steps.

Dean looked at him intently, then he raised his hand – and Castiel had the crazy thought that the alpha would stroke his cheek.

Maybe Dean would even kiss him.

But then Castiel felt something being pulled out of his hair.

Castiel looked down to see Dean holding a black-and-white feather in his hand.

“You know, I always thought your hair looked a little like a bird’s nest.”

Castiel might have been miffed at those words, had Dean not smiled down at him with those beautiful shining eyes and that boyish smirk. And then, instead of just throwing it to the ground, the alpha even pulled the feather through his belt.

Castiel felt that familiar flutter in his stomach again.

He would be lying if he denied that he was anxious to arrive at Loki as quickly as possible – and he was more than a little scared that he and Dean would run into Michael’s guards again.

But he could not help but feel excited at the prospect of spending some time alone with Dean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think: Disappointed that we still haven’t met Gabriel? Sad to see the group go – or excited about some alone time for our heroes? ;-)


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, lovelies. I am so sorry that I have not updated in weeks. Life really is very demanding right now, but I finally finished another chapter, so you all know I have not abandoned this story. I hope I will find more time to write soon, but I fear I can make no promises. But I’ll try! :)
> 
> Have a wonderful weekend everyone! <3

TEN

They walked for hours, mostly in silence but for Castiel’s loud breathing whenever they had to move uphill. For him, it was without a doubt the most stressful part of the journey so far. Even Dean’s movements looked strained, so Castiel refused to feel too embarrassed for his red head and the tired feet.

It was even worse than that first day when he had believed that his feet would fall off. Right now, he was just as exhausted as he had been then – after all, he had turned into a magpie a few hours ago and that would usually be enough to wear him out for the rest of the day – and to make it harder, the path Dean had chosen was even more rough and uneven than before. Added to the physical challenge was a new fear that Castiel had not felt before; at least it had never been quite so tangible. Mostly, he was afraid that they would run into some heavily armed opponents again. Those who had managed to retreat after the fight might have run back to their village or patrol station to alarm their fellow soldiers and would come looking for them. To make it worse, Castiel was not only scared for his own safety, and Dean’s – but who was to say that the wannabe soldiers would not find their friends as well? Maybe they had already caught them. With Jack so wounded and the rest of them quite tattered, Castiel could only hope they had arrived at their supposed hide-out place quickly enough. But he could not know for certain that his friends were safe.

And even if Dean and Castiel would eventually arrive at Gabriel’s, their whole journey might turn out to be a waste of time in the end – as his uncle would probably only laugh in his face anyway.

Despite all his worries though, there was one thing that made Castiel smile every now and then.

Any time Castiel’s eyes wandered to Dean, or rather to the alpha’s belt, his heart made a little excited hiccup. It seemed like Dean had not even realised that he had bound Castiel’s feather into it, even though his fingers sometimes grazed over it absent-mindedly. And Castiel certainly did not have the courage to mention it – or ask about it. But he liked to believe that it might have to do with the way Dean sometimes looked at him.

Castiel had already admitted to himself that he was more than a little in love with Dean Winchester; and maybe the alpha did feel something for him in return.

It was a nice thought, but one Castiel did not want to dwell on too much. They were here on a mission – a dangerous one at that – and this was hardly the right time to start a romantic relationship with anyone. Plus, he was probably imagining things anyway. Dean would not want a spoiled prince – the very thing he had been fighting against for years. Maybe he just liked the silky texture of the feather. Nothing to do with Castiel personally.

They had been on their way for hours already when Castiel felt ready to give up. After the shifting and the fighting, he was tired and exhausted. It was only the fear of another attack that allowed him to keep going, otherwise he might have just lied down on the ground to take a nap, for a week or two. From the corner of his eyes, he could see that Dean was looking at him with worry. Somehow, it made Castiel raise his chin and move on with a determined expression. They had come so far; he would not give up now. No matter how tempting a short nap sounded.

“Maybe we should take a break,” the alpha said – a sign that Castiel’s posture was not as convincing as he had hoped. Dean looked around with a frown. They were currently in the midst of bushes with thorns, high spruces and muddy moss. Same as they had been the whole day. It did not look inviting, but Dean still said: “Let’s rest here for the night. Maybe it will be best to cross the border after we had some sleep anyway.”

Castiel knew that Dean thought this was a bad idea, not matter what the alpha had just said, and Castiel agreed. He was tired, yes, but he also desperately wanted to be over the border before nightfall – once they were in unclaimed territory, Michael’s soldiers would leave them in peace. Hopefully.

So he shook his head and replied: “No, let’s keep moving. I am fine.” Dean looked at him with a doubtful expression. Castiel sighed. “Maybe not _fine_ , but I will feel a lot better once we are out of Niebo. I can stay upright for a few more hours, and I probably couldn’t sleep here anyway.”

Dean looked like he wanted to argue, but when Castiel just stumbled on, he followed him with a shrug. 

As the sun slowly set, Castiel began to doubt his own words.

The omega contemplated to ask Dean for a break, no matter how embarrassed he would feel about it – and the alpha would surely agree, judging from the way he was still eyeing Castiel with worry. But then, finally, they reached a wall. Both men looked at the huge stone with astonishment on their faces. They had just walked ahead through trees and brushwood, hardly seeing more than a few feet ahead, until they almost walked into the big grey stone wall that was suddenly in front of them.

Dean cursed, more colourful than Castiel had ever heard before.

“What’s wrong?” He asked timidly. They had reached the border. That was what they wanted, right? But admittedly, Castiel had not known there would be a big wall. Michael could hardly have that sort of massive brick around all of Niebo, could he?

“I thought we would be farther east by now,” Dean replied. “This stone wall is just a few miles long and has the main gate and trade road in the direction of Loki and Purgatory in the middle. I planned for us to sneak around, not walk right into it.”

“Then maybe – we should just head east and eventually the wall will stop.”

Dean let out a humourless chuckle. “Of course we should do that. We don’t have any other option now. But the closer to the wall we are, the more likely it is that we will run into more guards. They might be looking for us anyway – and we don’t want to make it easier for them by walking right up to one of their posts.”

Castiel looked to the ground, feeling deflated. Then Dean’s hand was on his back, pulling him towards the alpha in an awkward half-hug.

“Hey, I’m sorry. Cesar and Jesse are both better at this than I am. Maybe I should have sent one of them with you instead.”

“It’s not your fault, Dean.” Castiel had not intended for Dean to blame himself. As someone who had never needed to find his way through strange wilderness before, the omega was impressed with how easily Dean had led them into the right direction, even if they had been a mile off. Besides, he really did not want to have anyone else for company. “And it’s not like we _have to_ run into the border guard. Maybe we are only a few feet away from the end of the wall.” Castiel could hardly believe he was now trying to cheer up Dean instead of the other way around, but it helped with his own feeling of defeat as well. As did Dean’s arm around his shoulder. “And at least we are finally at the border. What is one more mile now?”

Dean looked at him for a moment. It seemed like he had hardly heard Castiel.

“You think… ahem… you think you could Change? You know, fly to Loki on your own.”

“Change? Into my Second Skin? _Now_?” Castiel hoped that his incredulous tone was answer enough, but he still added: “No, Dean, I can’t. I’m tired and hungry and I’ve never been able to shift more than once a day. Besides, I’m not going to leave you here. We were supposed to end this journey together.” Castiel knew there was a lot of princely snobbishness in his tone, but he was angry at Dean for even proposing such a line of action and he had a tendency of sounding aloof whenever he was frustrated. He had not been able to leave his friends earlier today, and neither would he do it now.

Dean held up his hands placatingly.

“All right, all right,” the alpha murmured. Castiel narrowed his eyes, suspecting that Dean had given in so easily because Castiel _could_ not shift rather than because he did not want to. “Then let’s move on and hope we don’t run into any trouble. Balthazar said that the wall had been built mostly to impress people and we should be able to walk around it easily. This unfriendly territory,” he pointed at the thorn-covered twigs that had scratched not only both men’s tunics but quite a bit of skin during the course of their journey, “is supposed to be enough to keep people on the main road. But of course, Balthazar had also said that the gate would be only lightly guarded,” Dean ended grumpily.

“Balthazar?” Castiel had not known that his almost-friend had been involved in this plan.

“Well, yes, he’s the reason we know so much about the journey to Loki. He trades with the city all the time.” Dean sighed and glared at the wall again. “Come on, Cas. Let’s just hope we’re walking away from the gate, and not towards it.”

They walked alongside the wall that looked like it was hundreds of years old, covered with moss and ivy for the most part, but it looked still as solid as it had when Castiel’s ancestors put it there. Or rather, when they had ordered other people to do it. It was unlikely that the royal family of Niebo had ever done any quarryman’s work.

Castiel huffed out a chuckle and then felt Dean’s worried eyes on him again. The alpha probably thought he was going insane – and he might not be wrong. But then he held up a hand and stopped, Castiel almost bumping into him. Dean turned his face up with a concentrated expression and Castiel knew by now that he was probably smelling something odd. Or someone.

After a moment, he went on, slowly and almost soundlessly – Castiel followed with less grace. The alpha led them to a hiding place between some bushes that scratched over Castiel’s skin and smelled funny. Hopefully, they were not poisonous. He trusted that Dean would know.

Then Castiel heard them and even managed to see some movement through the twigs while he was holding his breath, with Dean right behind him, all tense. Castiel assumed there were three or four men. At least one looked like he came just back from a bar fight, black eye and bruises all over his face, and all had the King’s emblem on their simple clothes. Castiel shrank further back into Dean, scared that the men would notice them. But they seemed too lost in their own heated discussion to have eyes or ears for anything around them.

“Oh no, Belial. I’m not going back. It’s like Jason said. We should forget about them. They were probably just a bunch of thieves. Best they are out of the country anyway. I mean – the king doesn’t need to even know about it. It would be worse, if they had come _into_ the country. But we’re probably better off without them.”

“But you know that the king doesn’t allow anyone to leave Niebo without his consent. And we are his soldiers, responsible for…”

“Aw, come on, Bel,” said a third voice. “Until two months ago, you and I were farmers.”

“But if he finds out we let some outlaws through… We should look for them.”

“Belial. We lost half a dozen of our brothers today. You weren’t there. One of them could turn into a frigging bear. He pulled Edgar apart like he was a toy. I say we tend to our wounds and get some sleep for tonight. And tomorrow, they’ll be miles away and someone else’s problem.”

There was a grunt of agreement from one side, and a sigh of defeat from the other.

“Sal should have just taken the damn money. He’s always been an idiot.”

That last sentence started another argument about whether the group was lucky to have lost their leader – Castiel got the impression he had not been well liked, at least not by the men who had just passed them – but he soon could not hear anything anymore as the men were headed into the direction where Castiel assumed the camp around the gate was. It was the opposite direction Dean and he had taken, so that made Castiel hopeful they were on the right track.

He and Dean waited for another two minutes until they were certain that the soldiers were far enough away. Once the forest was completely silent again, Castiel let out a relieved sigh and fell against Dean, who was still standing closely behind him. The alpha sneaked an arm around him which made Castiel feel very comfortable and protected.

“You all right?”

“Yes. I am just glad they are not off chasing our friends already.”

“And it doesn’t sound like they’re going to, either.” Castiel could see that he was not the only one who was feeling a lot better. Dean seemed less grim and dangerous than he had a few moments ago. Of course, if Castiel was worried about his friends, Dean would probably be even more so, feeling like he was personally responsible for their wellbeing. “I believe we won’t even have problems to walk around that wall anymore. Sounds like they want to keep out of our way just as much as we want to stay out of theirs.”

Castiel scoffed. “Would be a change if something went right today.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Dean said, and Castiel could swear he heard the smirk in his voice. “I think we’ve been quite lucky so far. You know, me and my friends even got rescued by a handsome prince earlier today.”

Castiel blushed furiously. He opened his mouth but no words came out – witty replies had never been his forte. Dean squeezed his arm again and chuckled right into Castiel’s ear. Then he let go abruptly, leaving Castiel behind all flustered.

They continued their journey to the tail of the wall, both in a lighter mood than they had been since separating from the rest of their group, and by the time they made their way around it, the sun was finally setting. They kept moving though, both of them eager to put as much distance between Niebo and them as possible before they would lie down. The fact that they were now somewhat safer than before, gave Castiel new energy. Also, Cesar had said that Loki lay only a few miles into the unclaimed territory. And Castiel was eager to finally reach their goal.

Luckily, the moon was already high, giving them enough light to move in the more and more open spaces, when they finally could see the main road leading toward a gate in the distance. This must be Loki already.

But instead of walking right towards the city walls, Dean took a little path to the side where they would not be easily seen from the broad road and put his bag to the ground between a handful of trees.

“Makes no sense to knock at the door so late at night. It’ll only make us look suspicious. We should sleep for now, and tomorrow we’ll seek out your uncle.”

Castiel was so relieved he almost fell down to the ground, but managed to pull out a blanket before he would start snoring on the humid moss.

Dean handed him some bread and cheese and by the time he lay down, Castiel could even imagine that, after a few hours of sleep, he might feel like a human being again.

He involuntarily let out a happy sigh when Dean settled next to him. The alpha had offered to sleep on the rough ground, but Castiel had insisted they shared the blanket – mostly because he was so stressed after this tumultuous day that he was happy to have a trusted person near him. And, yes, maybe he wanted Dean’s scent to calm him. The alpha had not argued.

“It should only take as about an hour until we arrive at Loki.” Castiel harrumphed in response, unwilling to speak before he had at least three hours of sleep. But Dean went on: “I just hope they will let us in without any problems. According to Balth, there are only two gates leading into the city, both guarded, but not as strictly as in our beloved Royal City. Maybe we should just claim that we want to visit an uncle or something. I know of at least one of Balthazar’s aliases.”

“You don’t think we should ask about Gabriel at the gate? Tell the guards that I am his nephew.” It was almost too much to ask this simple question. Castiel did not feel like having any kind of conversation now; he wanted to sleep, and tomorrow they could think of something. When his mind wasn’t all blurry.

Dean sighed. “I don’t know, Cas. When we were seven people, then it might have looked probable. But two men in shabby clothes? They might just kick us out when we claim you are a prince.”

“But we will have to go to the palace eventually, won’t we?”

“Yeah, well, let’s just hope luck will be on our side.” There was a moment of silence, and Castiel almost drifted off. “And, you know, you could always shift.”

Castiel frowned, but before he could say anything about not leaving Dean behind the alpha added: “I mean, your uncle knows you’re a magpie, right? You could just seek him out if we have trouble at the gate. Then, after you talked to him, you can come back and get me.”

Castiel nodded, not capable to do anything else. He heard Dean say something else, but the omega was already asleep, feeling safe enough with Niebo behind them and Dean’s scent embracing him.

>>><<<

Castiel snuggled closer into the comfortable warmth around him. He felt particularly good and not at all like getting up in the near future. He was warm and surrounded by a wonderful smell. Some birds chirped excitedly at the rising sun and his cosy blanket somehow seemed to wind around him even tighter.

Strange. Blankets could not move.

It was this abstruse thought that finally made Castiel open his eyes, albeit with a grumpy frown – he still did not want to wake up. And he regretted it when he finally did – because he knew where he was immediately, and he had a feeling he should change his position. As it was, both Castiel and Dean lied on their sides, facing each other. One of Dean’s arms rested around Castiel’s waist, while Castiel’s hands were both somehow holding onto the alpha’s tunic and his head was basically buried in the crook of Dean’s neck. The two men’s legs were entangled in a way that it was hard to tell which limb belonged to whom.

Castiel had a feeling that, now that he was awake, he should dis-entangle so they would not be in this precarious position when the alpha woke up. But he just did not want to. It felt so good, lying here with Dean’s arms around him, and his wonderful scent embracing him. And Castiel was drowsy enough not to overthink his actions. So instead of pulling away, Castiel snuggled one arm around Dean as well and closed his eyes again. It could not hurt if he got another hour of sleep, could it. And then he felt the hand on his back move, stroking up and down. It felt nice, but Castiel did not dare breathe. Dean still seemed half asleep and Castiel did not want to do anything that might wake him up. He almost let out a little squeak though when Dean suddenly moved, rolling onto his back. But since he had his arms wound tightly around Castiel, and their legs were intertwined, instead of moving away, Castiel landed on top of his alpha, who was suddenly stroking over his side instead of his back. Now, this wasn’t so bad either. In this position, Dean’s neck was even more bared, a rare vulnerable position for an alpha, and Castiel could not resist. He scented unashamedly and let out a happy cooing sound. In response, a deep rumble vibrated through Dean’s chest. Castiel pulled back a little, startled by the sound. It was almost like a growl, yet completely different. Maybe like the short purr of a massive cat.

Castiel was just about to rest his head on Dean’s chest again, trying to entice another rumble out of his alpha, when he noticed how the hands around him had stopped moving. He looked from Dean’s chest to his face, and blushed when the alpha smiled up at him.

“Mornin’, Cas,” Dean mumbled, clearly still not completely awake. If he were, he would have certainly let go of Castiel already.

Castiel looked down at Dean for another moment – the alpha looked a lot cuter than one would expect from a rebel leader who could shift into a massive bear, with that mixture of a pout and a smile currently displayed on his lips – and Castiel did something he would have never thought he was bold enough to do.

But he had had a crush on Dean for a while now, and they were alone and in no immediate danger – maybe he would never get another chance. Besides, he could always claim that he had been just too drowsy.

His eyes focused on Dean’s lips. And then Castiel leaned down and kissed the alpha.

It was barely more than a brush of lips against lips. But Castiel had never kissed anyone before and he did not really know what to do. It had felt quite nice though. Castiel looked down on Dean again, who just lied there completely motionless, looking at Castiel with wide eyes. The omega suddenly felt self-conscious and opened his mouth to apologise when he suddenly felt Dean’s hand on the back of his neck, the alpha looking into his eyes intently as he ever so slowly leaned up until their lips met again. This time though, the kiss was longer if just as chaste. Dean pulled back again and Castiel saw a soft smile play around the alpha’s lips. When Castiel responded with one of his own, Dean just pulled him down again to kiss him once more.

Castiel thought he was in heaven.

He did not know how much time had passed – it probably could not be more than a few minutes – or how he had suddenly ended up on his back with Dean on top of him. But he finally understood why Hannah had sometimes sneaked in a kiss with one guard or another. This certainly felt pleasant, Castiel thought as Dean nibbled a trail down his throat and back to the omega’s lips again.

But he was soon ripped out of his happy bubble.

It happened when Castiel had hesitantly started to explore Dean’s mouth with his own tongue like the alpha had done with him before ---Dean suddenly pulled back and cried out in pain.

For a split second, Castiel feared he had done something wrong. But then Dean turned around with a growl, still lying half on top of Castiel, now in a shielding position that unfortunately also blocked Castiel’s view.

But Castiel could still see enough to notice they were not longer alone.

His view impaired by a protective alpha who was growling lowly in his chest, Castiel could make out five pairs of boots. But since Dean was now halfway turned around, Castiel could also see a wound on the alpha’s shoulder – this had probably made him grunt out. From the look of it, Castiel assumed it was Silver Powder – the word _powder_ was a little misleading though. It was more like tiny pebbles that were shot with a sling – the silver stuck to the skin to keep a shifter from changing into their Second Skin. The advantage of those tiny silver bullets was that you did not have to come as close as one had to put a silver bracelet on a potential shifter or hurt them dangerously – but it usually lasted only for a few hours until the effect would diminish. Castiel had heard it was still painful though. But Dean’s wound was probably not their biggest problem right now. They might have to fight again, and their opponents would be smarter than the last – at least they had tried to eliminate a possible threat from the alpha first.

“Good morning, you two lovebirds,” came a female drawl. “I didn’t want to interrupt anything here, but you’re hanging out right in front of our gates, and well, we recently had all kinds of problems with thieves…”

Castiel groaned. Maybe their situation was not as bad as he had feared. He suddenly wished the ground would open up and swallow him though. But he managed to raise his body to a more dignified position, put a hand on Dean’s unwounded shoulder in a gesture he hoped was reassuring and looked at the female leader of their invaders.

“Actually, the gates were closed when we arrived last night.” He cleared his throat and tried for a haughty tone. “I am here to see my uncle.”

As much as Castiel wished he were anywhere else in the world right now, the woman seemed thrilled. She let out a cackling laugh and looked Castiel up and down in a way that made him blush more deeply than Dean’s kisses had done mere moments ago.

“Aw, Clarence. It’s so good to see you again. You _and_ your … friend.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you didnt lose interest in this story.   
> And yes, we will meet Gabe soon! ;-)


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at that! New chapter already! :-)

ELEVEN

After squeezing Dean’s shoulder again, Castiel stood up and brushed his hands over his clothes to make himself look presentable. Thank the Shifter they had not done anything that would have resulted in him _not_ wearing any clothes right now. At least he was spared that humiliation. Castiel felt Dean move behind him, getting up as well. The alpha had relaxed a little, and had stopped the growling, but he still seemed wary and ready to attack any moment. Castiel also noticed that the alpha had positioned himself between Castiel and their --- visitors.

“You know her?” Dean asked Castiel. The omega assumed he sounded deliberately curt to make it seem like he was not nervous at all and had everything under control. Like he wasn’t angry that they had subdued his ability to shift for the moment, or worried that they could overwhelm him.

Castiel sighed. Unlike Dean, he knew they were not in danger anymore; and he did not want to give Meg any more reason to make fun of them. Something like having an alpha throw himself heroically in front of Castiel to protect him. Castiel chose to ignore the flutter in his stomach at that thought. This was not the time for Dean to act as his personal guard.

“Yes, Dean, I know her. This is Meg Masters,” Castiel replied in a calm tone. He straightened and gave the woman a half nod. Castiel could hear how his voice became formal, but he welcomed it. Introductions, he could do. This was familiar territory. “She is the Captain of Prince Gabriel’s guard.” He frowned, and then added, more to irk Meg than because he thought it was true: “Unless she was recently degraded. It is not usually her job to scout the lands outside of Loki at the crack of dawn. Or so I assume.”

There was a chuckle from one of the men behind Meg, but one look from her quickly had him turn it into a cough. She smiled at Castiel though, like she was truly amused by his words.

“No need to worry, Clarence. I am still Head of the Guard. But like I said, we had some problems with rustlers and now I sometimes accompany those men on their rounds. To make sure they do their job right.” Someone behind her scoffed, but this time, Meg just grinned. There seemed a relaxed companionship between her and her men and they did not look offended by her words. She then pointedly looked at Dean and back at Castiel, waiting. Castiel wanted to punch that smirk off her face – whilst his own had heated up again. Right. He had only finished one half of his introductions.

“So, Meg… this is Dean. Ah… Dean Winchester.”

He stopped abruptly, unsure what else he should say. He did not want to tell anyone why exactly he was here before he had talked to Gabriel. He was sure that Meg would find out about his motivation to come to Loki eventually, as she was Gabriel’s most trusted protector, but he did not know the four men behind her. However, just saying Dean’s name did not seem to be enough for Meg. She just kept looking at him with a raised eyebrow. She then looked pointedly at Castiel’s hair that was even more ruffled than usually, and then let out another chuckle.

“Oh my, Clarence. Please, tell me you eloped and now you have to ask for refuge here since Michael will definitely have your head on a stake for marrying someone he didn’t approve of.” She let out another cackling laugh but stopped abruptly as her eyes rested on Castiel’s neck. “You’re not even mated yet! Gods, I never would have thought that such a prim omega such as you would ever …”

Castiel did not want to know what exactly she had never thought of him, so he interrupted her. “I did not elope! And Dean and I are not… we are not here … together… well…We did travel together, but…”

Dean rested a hand on Castiel’s arm and explained in a much calmer tone than Castiel could muster right now: “This is not an elopement, Captain. Prince Castiel is here on a more political agenda. I am just his personal guard.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen you guarding him quite well just a minute ago. You must take your job very seriously, lying on top of him and all. So no one could attack him in his --- sleep.” Then her eyes narrowed. “I sure hope he welcomed your … efforts.”

The tension from the beginning of their meeting was suddenly back as Meg and Dean eyed each other up. It was obvious that Dean did not like her insinuation that he might have forced himself on Castiel, while Meg seemed genuinely worried it might be true. Despite her being a beta, she challenged as good as any alpha and did not back down when Dean growled lowly while he kept glaring at her, a typical alpha intimidation tactic.

This time it was Castiel’s turn to grab Dean’s arm. Like he had hoped, the alpha immediately looked down at him and broke eye contact with Meg. He even stopped his growling.

“Can we just all go to the castle? We really need to talk to Gabriel. And it would not help if you started a fight with the Captain of his guard, especially about something as stupid as a _joke_.”

Meg looked between Castiel and Dean, but she seemed placated as well. Maybe it had been the way Castiel talked to Dean that convinced her Castiel was not intimidated by the alpha. “And you could both really need a bath. Not to insult a royal prince like you, Clarence, but you stink.”

Castiel blushed. And then the colour deepened when he thought about how close he had been to Dean like that, stinking. He looked up at the alpha, horrified. But Dean shot another glare Meg’s way before he smiled reassuringly at Castiel.

“Don’t listen to her, Cas. You smell amazing.”

Dean had whispered so no one else would hear him, but it was Meg who replied in the same low voice: “Yeah. Says the guy who stinks just as much. Seriously, there is no way of telling which stench belongs to whom with the two of you.” Louder she added: “Come on. Pack up your stuff and I can bring you to your uncle.”

Quickly, Castiel and Dean grabbed their things, few as they were, and the omega involuntarily sniffed at himself when he thought no one would notice. He really smelled. He tried to shrug it off though – there was nothing he could do about this now. And it was probably impossible to cross the way from Niebo’s capital to Loki, by foot, smelling like freshly cut lavender all the time. And after the excitement yesterday, there had not been much opportunity to take a bath.

They made their way to the palace and through the gates without being stopped for questioning. As embarrassing as it had been to be discovered by Meg and her men in such an inappropriate moment, it also had its advantages. At least he did not have to try and convince a city guard that he was a royal prince, no matter how he looked. Or smelled.

Meg was leading the way, but Castiel had let himself and Dean fall behind a little so that they could whisper with each other. Meg did not seem to mind. She just sometimes turned around and watched them with a smug smile. Obviously, she did not think anymore that Dean’s attention had been unwanted, and she was back to being amused by their ---- secrecy.

Meg’s were not the only curious glances Castiel and Dean received on their path to the castle, but the omega was too distracted by the problems at hand to pay the villagers much attention. He barely noticed the lively market space and had almost walked into a goose.

“As much as I want to punch her, it might have been lucky that she found us. I don’t think it would have been that easy to walk into the palace without her.” Dean said pretty much the same thing Castiel had just been thinking about. “But I could live without her cocky attitude.”

Castiel chuckled. “She’s always been like that. She just likes to tease me. She even did it back when we were kids.”

“Kids? You’ve known her quite a while then.”

“Believe it or not – she is of noble blood and grew up in the palace. Of course, she is five years older than me, but there were never many kids around, so… we sometimes played together. Meg, Hannah, Samandriel and I. Meg was the oldest and clearly liked to boss us around. She had always said she wanted to be a warrior when she grew up – of course that was not possible for her in Niebo. Her duty would have been to marry someone rich and powerful, like Hannah had done. But she had always been defiant. And one day, she just left. Of course, I had not much to do with her by then anymore, because I am an omega and needed to be sheltered and have no other people around me than other omegas or my cousin Hannah. Next time I saw Meg was years later during one of the rare and short visits of Gabriel. As the Captain of his guard. And she was so smug about it.” Castiel shook his head, smiling at the memory.

Dean huffed out a laugh. “You like her.”

Castiel frowned at that. “She irritates me. She’s bossy, and she always makes fun of me. And she keeps calling me _Clarence_.”

Dean just kept grinning. “Yeah. But you like her.” He took Castiel’s hand and squeezed it before letting go just as quickly. “That’s a good thing. She obviously likes you too. And that makes her more likely to act as an ally when we finally approach Gabriel about our… problem.” Dean smirked. “Maybe she would like to be the Captain of the _King’s_ Guard.”

Dean winked at Castiel, but the omega was suddenly nervous. The adrenaline of being found by an old acquaintance reduced, now he had to worry about the bigger picture. A deep breath. Right. They were here on a mission of convincing Gabriel to play king for a few years. Castiel stumbled and might have fallen to the ground if Dean had not held him up quickly. Castiel’s mouth turned dry when he looked at Dean, now standing so close to him. But the alpha quickly let go of him and they followed Meg through the palace gates and up some big staircase.

Meg eventually stopped and talked to some servants, but Castiel hardly noticed. He was too deep in thought, suddenly feeling nauseous, like he always did when he was stressed. 

He heard someone clearing their throat. Castiel blushed when he noticed Meg was standing right in front of him, looking like she had tried to address him multiple times by now. Castiel glanced to the side and noticed that Dean was watching him with an expression not unlike Meg’s – partially worried and amused.

“You both can retire to your rooms for now.” Castiel opened his mouth to object, but Meg went on: “I don’t know on what kind of business you’re here, Castiel, but believe me, it will do you both good if you take a bath and get into some clean clothes. You travelled all the way here to see Gabriel – I’m sure you can wait for another hour or two.”

Castiel nodded. He did want nothing more than to get this over with, but Meg was right – if only because he would feel more confident if he could hold this conversation clean and --- well, in a more dignified outfit than his torn and dirty tunic. And the thought of a bath – a real bath with warm water and bubbles – was hard to deny after weeks in a rebel camp and then on the road. He had learned to appreciate narrow riverbeds and lakes, but he would not mind something that did not have fish and algae in it for a change.

“So… I have ordered two separate rooms for you. Unless you want to --- share.” Her tone implied that she at least would not be happy if they indeed decided to stick together.

Castiel replied quickly: “Two rooms will be fine.”

He sighed inwardly. He would have loved to be alone with Dean before they met Gabriel, if only to agree on a consistent story, but he did not want Gabriel to get the wrong impression. They were not here as a couple, but as his nephew and the leader of the rebels. Also, Castiel preferred to bath alone. No matter what Meg – comprehensibly – believed, his and Dean’s relationship was not on a level that Castiel would feel comfortable to undress in front of him. At least not without any inducements first. Like Dean nibbling on his neck.

They followed Meg through the corridors, and Castiel noticed the deep frown on Dean’s face. He also felt that the alpha had tensed up by the time they arrived at his room. Maybe his silver wound hurt him. Maybe he did not feel happy to leave Castiel’s side. But whatever it was, he stayed behind with only one last threatening look in Meg’s direction. She seemed not intimidated at all, and even chuckled.

“He’s pretty, I’ll give you that,” Meg murmured to Castiel when just the two of them walked up some stairs. Castiel had hoped that he would be settled right next to Dean, or at least on the same floor. “But a bit gruff. Seems more like the type to attack before he asks questions. I’m surprised you’d like that in an alpha.”

“It’s not like… we’re not… it’s not like it looks…” Castiel stumbled, partly because he himself did not know what it actually was between him and Dean. He wished he did.

“Oh boy, it never is. But please, don’t insult me by saying he is just your bodyguard or whatever – I have seen what I have seen.”

Castiel chose not to reply. But when they finally stopped at a door, he turned to Meg again and said: “He really isn’t that much of a brute. And you’re one to talk. You shot him with silver before _you_ asked any questions.”

She chuckled. “Oh, I never said I was any better. Talking is overrated.” She winked. “I’ll leave you here. The servants are already ordered to bring you hot water and clean clothes. I’ll inform Gabriel of your arrival. He will call for you soon enough.” She wrinkled her nose. “But take your time. And use enough soap. That alpha has his stink all over you and I imagine you won’t want to explain your relationship to your uncle before you had the time to talk about whatever you came here for.”

Castiel almost believed that her words implied she would not tell Gabriel about the compromising position she had found them in. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking. In any case, he felt regret at the notion of washing Dean’s scent off his body.

>>><<<

When Castiel was left alone, he felt suddenly overwhelmed. He hardly noticed the spacious room that could easily compete with his quarters at home when he sunk onto the bed. It said a lot that he did not notice the softness of the mattress either.

There was still the problem of figuring out how to address Gabriel. Should Castiel be straightforward and get right to the point – or butter the other man up first? But they had not much time for pleasantries. If Gabriel negated them any help, Dean and Castiel should probably be on their way by tomorrow. At least the day after that.

But how to convince Gabriel of the rebel’s cause?

One would imagine that Castiel had had enough time to think about his words – and he had! – but right now, his mind seemed empty. Except for a few images of Dean licking down his...

And that was the other thing on his mind. Dean and he had kissed. And it had not been a brief, accidental brush of lips. Castiel was not even sure if kissing would have been all they had done if they had not been interrupted. But – now he did not know what this kiss meant. Had Dean just been drowsy? He had not been with an omega for at least the time of their journey. Probably longer, as he had slept next to Castiel, alone, when they had been at the rebel camp. Maybe that was all there was to it. Alphas had strong urges, had they not. And Castiel had probably just been _there_.

_And_ he had been the one who had started it.

But Dean had looked, had felt, like it meant more to him too. And the alpha still had Castiel’s feather on his belt.

Castiel still felt like he should be relieved that Meg had interrupted what he might have done, but he did not. He was hardly a prince anymore. He was not in heat – and his reputation would be ruined now anyway, even if someone would still be interested in that. So he might as well have explored a little bit further.

Castiel was grateful when the servants finally knocked on the door, breaking him out from his worries.

The bath did wonders to calm his nerves. No matter how much he liked all his companions, he was glad for a little peace and quiet for a change, staying in the warm soapy water until his skin wrinkled. His problems – no, not problems; his _uncertainties_? – with Dean could wait; Castiel needed to concentrate on his meeting with Gabriel. It was the reason he had made the journey in the first place. And not to smooch with the rebel leader.

The clothes Meg had sent him were precious but still understated, the way Castiel liked it. He mused about what Dean had said about Meg liking him. He had never thought of her that way. As kids, she had been somewhat of a tyrant, and even the very few times he had met her as an adult, she had been constantly teasing him. If anything, he would have thought she pitied him for playing the role of a well-behaved omega prince.

Just as Castiel had given up on trying to force his hair to stay down in a more dignified style than the usual bird’s nest, there was a soft knock.

With a deep breath, Castiel collected himself and opened the door. He was almost disappointed to see an unknown young woman in front of him instead of Meg.

“My lord, I am Ambriel and here to look after your needs. Prince Gabriel would like to welcome you to his palace. But only if you are well. Otherwise, I will send you some lunch up and you can rest until dinner.”

It sounded tempting, but Castiel could not afford to lose half a day. “No, that won’t be necessary, Ambriel. I am eager to meet my uncle.”

He followed the girl for a few steps, but then he halted abruptly. “What about Dean?”

The girl looked at him, confused.

“The man I came here with. My… personal guard.”

Ambriel frowned for another moment and Castiel hoped that she would not be offended – it might give the wrong impression when he insisted on his personal bodyguard.

But then she nodded. “Your companion. Someone else picked him up already. He will meet you with the lord.”

Castiel sighed. So there would be no chance to talk to Dean alone. Castiel just hoped the alpha was not already talking to Gabriel. That would have been awkward.

But he did not have to worry: Dean was waiting with two guards behind him in front of wide, closed doors at the end of the next corridor.

Castiel was so relieved to see the alpha, that he did not have to do this alone, he had to suppress the urge to run into Dean’s arms. He came to a halt as closely in front of him as he could to still appear proper. The alpha looked different. His clothes, a red tunic and soft brown pants, were not as fine as Castiel’s, but probably more expensive than the rebel was used to. They suited him. He had also shaved – a fact Castiel almost frowned upon because he liked the stubble on Dean’s face that his usual shaving knife always left behind – and he smelled just wonderful. Clean and fresh, but also with that personal fragrance that was all _Dean_. The feather was still on his belt, Castiel noticed with a smile.

Ambriel cleared her throat and Castiel realised they had looked at each other for a moment too long – Dean’s eyes had raked over him just as keenly, like he had searched for fresh wounds. At that thought Castiel’s gaze fixed on Dean’s clothed shoulder.

“How’s your wound?”

“Healing nicely. But I fear the silver’s not completely out yet.”

Castiel nodded. Dean would not be able to shift yet. Not that Castiel thought it would be necessary – though Dean’s guards watched the alpha a lot more warily than Castiel.

“Shall we then?” Dean asked at the same time as Ambriel knocked at the door.

“Bring them in!” came a shout from inside.

Ambriel just opened the door for the two men, but she and the two guards stayed outside as she closed it again.

Castiel had expected an official hall that was intended to impress guests and intimidate them at the same time, but the room they were now led into, was nothing but cosy. There were multiple comfortable chairs and chaise longues. On a big table lay all kinds of sweets and baked goods as well as two pitchers and various cups. And it was almost too warm with the fire crackling at the back of the room. Two weeks ago, he would have welcomed it, but Castiel was used to colder temperatures after staying outside or in tents for so long. Now he felt the warmth like a fog on his mind.

There were only two people in the room, and they could not look more different. Meg was clad in black leather like she had been before and stood motionless by the window, while Gabriel wore an expensive outfit in overbearing colours. The green pants, golden tunic and red vest should look ridiculous, but the outfit strangely suited the lord of Loki. Gabriel had always liked things that made him the centre of attention immediately. He laid a half-eaten brownie on a plate and rose slowly from his chair.

“Aw, Cassie, my favourite nephew. Not that this is hard to accomplish, with the only other one being Lucifer.” The lord of Loki then spread his arms. A little warily, Castiel walked towards him and let his uncle embrace him. Gabriel had never been a hugger, but maybe he had simply never been allowed to embrace his nephew before. Michael had been very strict on which people were allowed to touch a royal omega.

“Hello, uncle.” Castiel said when Gabriel had stepped back and looked him up from head to toe. “I apologise for seeking you out without notice. Thank you for receiving us anyway.”

Like the word _us_ had made Gabriel aware that Castiel was not on his own for the first time, Gabriel looked at Dean, who made some gesture between a nod and a bow. Gabriel frowned. Castiel almost chuckled. He was not sure if Dean – being a rebel leader and such – simply refused to greet a member of the royal family with a more respectful gesture, or if he did not know how to make a proper bow. Both seemed equally possible.

“Who is your friend?” Gabriel asked straight out.

“Of course. Please, let me introduce you, uncle: This is Dean Winchester. He has been accompanying me on this journey to Loki.”

Gabriel suddenly looked at Dean with way more interest than before. People easily made the mistake of believing Gabriel was all about pretty clothes, tooth-rotting sweets and questionable entertainment. But Castiel knew his uncle well enough to acknowledge he also had a razor-sharp mind and a surprisingly good heart. He would not have come here if he thought otherwise.

Gabriel looked from Dean to Castiel again, and then clapped into his hands. His wide smile did not seem to fit his keen eyes. “Please, Cassie, sit down. And you too, … Mr. Winchester. Meg tells me, you two came here on foot.” He shuddered. “I cannot imagine how horrible this must have been for you, Cassie. Meg here once made me ride on a horse for three whole hours after our carriage broke down. And my ass hurt for a whole week. Can’t imagine what my feet would feel like if I actually had to walk for… how long had you been on the move?”

Castiel briefly glanced at Dean as they both took chairs opposite Gabriel’s. The alpha was not able to hide his disdain – and Castiel could hardly explain to him right now that he believed this spoiled rich man attitude was just an act. Gabriel did not mind when people underrated him – it made it easier for him to stab them in the back. Or rather in the front, preferably with a wide smile. Loki was only a small city state – but it was wealthy. Made so by cunning trading deals with other countries that usually favoured Loki’s economy.

But usually, Gabriel could not hide his intelligence for long. He liked to surprise people, and he was too much of a show-off to leave them in the dark about his superiority for too long. He enjoyed the moment when they realised they had been outsmarted by him.

It was just always hard to tell when the short alpha had played all his cards. He liked to keep something up his sleeve.

“Ahem… we left the capital of Niebo about ten days ago.”

There was a short pause in their conversation, and Castiel licked his lips, searching for the right words.

“And the whole journey it was just the two of you?” Gabriel plopped one chocolate praline into his mouth and seemed only mildly interested when he added: “Please don’t tell me you eloped, Cassie. This would be so predictable, and I long for a more entertaining distraction.” 

Castiel, not being able to help himself, blushed again. He wondered what Meg had told Gabriel and looked at her for a second. But she just stood by the window, watching all three men closely. The picture of a perfect bodyguard.

“No, I did not elope.” Castiel replied at the same time as Dean said: “I am simply here as Castiel’s protector.”

Dean looked at Castiel intently and the omega understood. Dean did not want to be outed as the leader of the rebels right now – not until they knew Gabriel was on their side, or at least not opposing them. Castiel did not blame him. He would make a good hostage, and Gabriel had not presented himself in a way that would endear him to Dean. The alpha probably wondered right now why Castiel had thought that this spoiled nobleman had been a good idea for a surrogate-king in the first place.

Castiel cleared his throat. “I am not here on personal business, uncle. But I have to ask you a favour.”

“Oh, favours. That’s disappointing. People only come and visit when they want something, you know.” Meg scoffed, the first sign she was listening since Castiel and Dean had arrived, and Gabriel raised an eyebrow at her. Then he turned to Castiel and pointed at the pots. “Lemonade or hot chocolate?”

Castiel blinked – and felt like he wanted to strangle Gabriel. He just wanted to say what he came here to say. But he replied politely: “Chocolate, please.”

“What about you, Dean-o?”

Castiel could swear he heard Dean’s teeth grinding at the name, but the alpha managed to grumble: “I’ll have the same. Thank you.”

It took another moment until both men had their cups in hands and Gabriel even waited until they at least sipped. Dean frowned at the liquid as if he had never seen anything like it before – or maybe he simply thought it was poisonous – but then he sipped carefully. Followed by a big gulp and a satisfied smack of lips. Huh. Who would have thought that a strong alpha as Dean would like Gabriel’s sugary hot chocolate, Castiel wondered.

“And can I offer you some chocolate muffins or these strawberry cupcakes?”

“Gabriel, please. Listen. This is urgent.” Castiel had sounded harsh, he knew it, but he was stressed. He did not have the nerve to waste more time with pleasantries, especially because he was sure that Gabriel only did it to aggravate him. From the corner of his eyes, Castiel saw Dean pull back the arm he had already raised towards the table. It seemed like at least one of them would not have minded a cupcake before starting any negotiations. Castiel ignored it and announced after a deep breath: “I came here to ask for your support to fight Michael.”

Gabriel just raised an eyebrow, which was, quite frankly, disappointing. Castiel had expected a much stronger reaction – surprise, outrage, laughter. He was not sure what, but at least _something_. As it was, Gabriel only waited calmly.

“You know how badly Michael treats his subjects, I know you do. And I know you fought with him over this very thing in the past. It was why you left. I was too young to understand back then, but I can read between the lines now.” The words hurried out of him. Castiel did not have to think about what to say anymore, and the words did not resemble any of his prepared speeches. “But he only got worse since you’ve been gone, Gabriel. People suffer from hunger and diseases. The king executes anyone who dares to disagree with him on the smallest of matters. It is enough. The rebels made plans to overthrow him. Solid plans, but we could use your help.”

“ _We_?” Gabriel looked between Dean and Castiel. “You consider yourself a rebel now, Cassie?”

Castiel raised his chin. “Yes, I do.”

Gabriel leaned towards Dean. “And you enlisted a pampered prince like him? Seriously, how did this happen? Did you contact him on your search for noblemen who would follow your cause, or did he just show up on your doorstep one day and tell you he wanted to be a rebel when he grew up?”

Dean seemed at a loss for words, and Castiel believed he himself made a good impression of a goldfish with the way he opened and closed his mouth. It was clear that Gabriel did not believe Dean was only a bodyguard. Castiel was so surprised by the way Gabriel talked to Dean, he was not even offended that his uncle had made him sound like a toddler.

“Look, Dean-o, Cassie, when you come here to ask me for a favour, then don’t start by hiding something from me. I know about _Dean Winchester_. I know you are the leaders of said rebels, kiddo, and I have a mind of chopping your head off for getting my baby nephew into trouble. Using him like that to get to me. And who knows what could have happened to him on the way.” Gabriel crossed his arms with a triumphant glint in his eyes. “I just hope Meg has shot you full of silver – I really wouldn’t want an angry bear in here, ruining all this precious porcelain.”

Meg seemed as stunned as the rest of them, and Gabriel had three pairs of eyes directed at him in disbelief. The short alpha seemed to enjoy himself immensely, judging by his smug smile. And he should. To know that Dean Winchester was the name of the rebel leader was one thing – to know about his Second Skin was quite another. It seemed like Gabriel had not cut _all_ his ties to Niebo, or he would not be so well informed.

Castiel finally managed to speak again. Unfortunately, his first words were: “I am not a baby anymore.” He could have slapped himself for the childish remark, but simply went on: “And it was _my_ idea to seek you out for help. Dean truly is my protector on this mission.”

“M-hm. Sure. You know, I heard some impressive stories about Dean-o here, but I don’t think one man alone…”

“We were a whole group. Until the border. Dean and I only took the last part of the journey alone.” Castiel swallowed, leaving out that they _had_ to leave their friends behind. “It has been an exhausting journey indeed, more so than three hours on a horse I would assume. I hope we did not make it in vain.”

“Look, Cassie. I sympathise with the rebels. I do. But I am out. I will gladly offer you sanctuary. I guess it is too late for you to return to Niebo. Michel will kill you if he finds out what you had planned to do. Or even just for staying out of the palace overnight. But you can start a new life here. Have chocolate every day, and I promise I will not make you marry someone as hideous as this Zachary or whatever his name was. Glad he is dead.” Gabriel picked up a piece of cake, but then suddenly sobered up and looked at Castiel. “I had my own battles with Mickey and with Lucifer. And I found out it’s a lost cause. I started new. I made myself a comfortable life here, where I have everything I need. And I don’t want to risk my small army for a lost cause. The royal army will crush a handful of rebels in a heartbeat – and I don’t want my men and women to suffer the same fate.”

“Actually, we did not come here to ask for your help in the fighting.” Dean finally entered the conversation. Now that Gabriel knew who he was, he could as well negotiate.

“Oh?”

“Well, we would not turn down any military support, sure. But the thing is, the rebels are far more than a handful of outlaws, as I am sure you know.” Gabriel raised an eyebrow at Dean, who shrugged. “Come on, you know who I am but not about the rest? Hardly believable. You know we have a chance. But once we succeed, once Michael and Lucifer are gone, we need someone else on the throne.”

“Huh?” Gabriel finally looked confused.

“Uncle, we came here to ask you to be king of Niebo,” Castiel explained.

Gabriel looked at Castiel with wide eyes and the omega had the pleasure of having surprised his uncle for once. But then the Lord of Loki almost fell from his chair, laughing.

“You two must have completely lost your mind! Me and being king? Are you insane?!”

Castiel sighed. He had not imagined this would be easy. He looked at Dean, too a deep breath and prepared for long hours of negotiations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed Gabriel´s first appearance.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, plot-wise this is not a strong chapter. But I needed a little fun and fluff. ;-)

TWELVE

Six hours later, Castiel felt exhausted. Who would have thought that arguing with your uncle whilst sitting in a comfortable chair could be just as strenuous as hiking through rough forest ground for days.

He and Dean had spent all afternoon informing Gabriel about the current situation in Niebo in every gory detail. It had been a tough subject that made even Gabriel lose some of his coquetry. Castiel was embarrassed to admit that he himself had not known about some of the things Dean had explained to the Lord of Loki.

After initial reluctance, Castiel summarized the events that had led to him joining the rebels. He had been hesitant to tell his uncle about how he had --- _met_ Dean and is gang in the first place. Castiel feared that it would not endear the rebels to Gabriel when he learned that they had kidnapped his nephew. And he was right. Gabriel had had a little outburst in Dean’s direction and threatened to cut off his head again. Fortunately, Dean hardly reacted at all, no alpha challenge in his scent or posture, and let Castiel handle the situation. Eventually, Gabriel was appeased. It even seemed to amuse him in the end that Gordon had wanted to kidnap Lucifer, feared crown heir of Niebo, and had brought back the useless omega prince instead. He then apologised to Castiel that, of course, _Gabriel_ did not think he was useless. Castiel assured him he knew what he meant – careful to keep his uncle in good spirits.

When Castiel told him how they had then decided to seek Loki out in a small group, Gabriel seemed impressed by their journey. Castiel had to admit he was impressed himself. The only thing he had left out of his narration was the unfortunate incident of his heat. It was not important for their mission – and he could well live without either Meg’s or Gabriel’s jokes. Especially when he would have added Dean’s rut to the story. Or maybe Gabriel would just get back to threatening Dean at that part. Castiel wished he knew what his uncle thought about the two of them. Meg seemingly had not told him about the compromising position she had found the rebel and the omega in – Gabriel would not have been able to leave that uncommented – but it dishevelled Castiel somewhat that his uncle had not once asked about their relationship.

Someone brought sandwiches at around two in the afternoon, and by that time, Castiel had the impression that Gabriel was in a better mood than he had been in the morning. He seemed genuinely interested in Castiel’s and Dean’s motivation, and showed empathy for the rebels as a group, as much as the friends they had to leave behind at the border.

Maybe they would succeed after all, Castiel hoped – and bring back Gabriel as the future king of Niebo.

In the late afternoon, Gabriel finally dismissed them, claiming they all needed to get ready for dinner. Dean raised an eyebrow at the alpha prince as if to say: Why does anyone need to prepare for dinner? He even seemed hungry again, which Castiel found astonishing – Dean had eaten countless sandwiches, cupcakes and brownies all day. But he had been shot with silver just this morning so it was comprehensible that his bear needed some additional strength.

Even though Dean thought it was strange to rest and change before dinner, Castiel was glad he would have some time for himself. He was quite exhausted after a day of arguing with his uncle. And dinner would probably offer new opportunities to involuntarily offend Gabriel. Better to get some rest and clear his head in between.

Dean looked a little debunked, though, when Castiel just moved back to his rooms, Ambriel in tow.

As soon as he was alone in perfect quiet, Castiel lay down on the bed – and this time, he did notice how soft and cosy it was. His head was spinning from the negotiating and Castiel just wanted to close his eyes for a few minutes. But he was still stressed, and he never would have thought it possible to fall asleep with so many things whirling around in his head.

So it was not surprising that he basically jumped off the mattress in shock when he suddenly heard a loud knock on the door.

“Prince Castiel?” Ambriel’s voice, he thought. “Are you ready for dinner? Your uncle must be waiting already.”

His vision still a little blurry, Castiel frantically looked in the mirror. He noticed there were new clothes laid out for him on a stool next to the dressing table, but he figured he did not have the time to change. So he just checked how rumpled his clothes were, decided they would have to do, and tried to flatten his hair. Then he opened the door and hurried after his servant. Ambriel seemed nervous that they were so late, but he thought she could have woken him sooner. Then he remembered he had told her that he did not need anyone to wait on him – and she had probably been unsure what to do when he did not come out on his own.

When Castiel finally arrived, it was the same picture as last time. Dean was already waiting in front of closed doors, two guards by his side. Something must have changed, though, because now they did not look at Castiel’s alpha like he was a possible threat – the three of them chatted and chuckled with each other. And Dean seemed more relaxed than he had been all day. Just like the guards. Castiel wondered how easily Dean had gotten them to trust him.

The alpha’s eyes shone and fitted the green tunic he was now wearing. Castiel suddenly felt self-conscious because _he_ had not changed. But then his heart did a flip, when Dean’s beautiful eyes rested on him and Castiel could swear they brightened even more. He then grinned as his gaze locked on Castiel’s hair; the omega quickly raised a hand and tried to get them under control. Again, it was useless. After the quick nap, it was even more tousled than usual.

Dean made a step towards him and grinned: “Slept well?”

Castiel felt his cheeks heat up – he had hoped he did not look like he had just woken up. But obviously, he did. He ignored the question.

“How’s your shoulder?”

“Well healed by now. But I still need some strength back.” Dean looked at the door with a frown. “I hope Gabriel will serve something good. I am famished.”

Castiel chuckled. “Dean, you ate all day.” He then added low enough so Ambriel and the guards would not hear. Not because it was that personal, but because he wanted to have something just between him and Dean. “I never thought I would ever meet someone with a sweet tooth like Gabriel.”

For a second, Dean looked unsure if he had just been insulted – but when Castiel grinned, he responded in kind. Castiel’s smile widened a little bit. Who would have thought, three weeks ago, how effortlessly a rebel leader and a royal prince got along?

Unfortunately, in exactly that moment, the doors opened from the inside, and Gabriel looked at them with an exaggerated frown.

“Ah, there you are. You know, it is impolite to have your host waiting for so long. I am famished.”

Castiel outright laughed at those words which sounded so much like Dean a moment ago, and Gabriel looked at him like he had just seen a ghost.

“I apologise, uncle. I dozed off.” Castiel had chosen to take the offensive – and let them make fun about his hair and the lines on his face.

But Gabriel – Castiel noticed he now wore an expensive outfit in clashing colours of turquois and orange – just shrugged and opened the door wider for them to enter. Already seated at the table was Meg, looking bored – until her eyes wandered over Castiel’s hair and she smirked. Honestly, Castiel had known his hair was ruffled, but not that it was quite so bad.

Gabriel was sitting down at the head of the table, Meg was to his left and Castiel sat down to the right, with Dean next to him. At the commotion of taking their seats, Meg whispered to Castiel: “Had fun with that alpha?”

Castiel did not know what she meant for a moment, then he noticed her eyes on his hair – and flushed. _She_ obviously did not think it looked like that because he fell asleep. Now he wished she did.

But before Castiel could reply, Gabriel announced loudly: “Now, just to be clear: I don’t talk about politics, or business, while I eat. So one word from you about your revolution tonight and you can go straight home. Save anything else you have to say for tomorrow.”

“Of course, uncle,” Castiel replied and tried to suppress a triumphant smile. He did not think Gabriel realised how much he had revealed, but it was a good sign that he planned to resume their talk the next day. Meg seemed to agree; she winked at Castiel. The omega did not mind Gabriel’s resolution to keep the topic light for tonight – quite the opposite. He looked forward to an evening with good food and easy conversation that would eventually lead to a deep slumber in a real bed.

When the servants finally brought four steaming bowls and placed one in front of each of them, Castiel could basically feel the disappointment radiating from Dean as the alpha eyed the red content. He must have expected something more nourishing.

“Something wrong with the soup, Dean-o?”

Dean quickly reached for the spoon. “No, of course not.” He took a sip. “It’s really good.”

“I agree,” Castiel said. “How many courses have you planned for tonight, Gabriel?”

Castiel had asked the question mostly to assure Dean that there would be more food and the soup was only a starter.

“Seven,” Gabriel replied. “I think more is just decadent.” Both Meg and Dean scoffed, fortunately too low for Gabriel to hear. The alpha’s tone turned positively lyrical when he listed tonight’s menu: “After the soup, we will have escargot, grilled zander, meatballs with ramsons, chicken wings in lemon sauce, entrecote with mashed potatoes, and panna cotta with strawberries for dessert.”

Castiel could swear he heard Dean’s mouth water even though the alpha probably did not know half of the dishes. 

But Dean’s enthusiasm came to an abrupt halt when the next course – escargot – was presented. He looked at his plate with a horrified expression, but this time Gabriel did not seem to notice. The Lord of Loki was too occupied making happy sounds at one of his favourite meals. Fearing that his alpha would make a scene, Castiel touched a hand to Dean’s thigh. When the alpha looked at him instead of the offending food, Castiel took his own tongs and fork and slowly tried to show Dean how to eat his escargot.

After a deep breath, Dean followed Castiel’s silent instructions with less grace then the rest of the dinner party – which was expected for someone who had never used tongs for eating before – but at least no food was flown around the room. Dean even swallowed down every last bit of the second course, trying not to look too disgusted. He did not succeed.

When the plates were finally removed, Castiel noticed that Meg was looking at him and Dean with a small smile. There was no teasing in it this time; she seemed genuinely pleased about something.

“Oh, wasn’t that delicious?”

Meg and Castiel readily agreed, while Dean looked like this was too huge a lie to ever come across his lips.

The conversation during the whole meal was about pleasantly unimportant things – the weather, some gossip about distant relatives and Hannah’s surprisingly lucky marriage – and everyone seemed to have a good time. Even Dean, who – after the disappointingly small portions of fish, meatballs and chicken – seemed to finally be satisfied with a huge steak and potatoes. By that time, Castiel already was too full to do much more than pick at the mashed potatoes. Gabriel and Meg sometimes had raised an eye at Dean’s --- enthusiasm. But Castiel thought that the alpha’s table manners were not that bad. For someone who had never eaten in noble circumstances and probably had never tasted most of the foods presented – or at least not the way they were served – he did a good job of watching Castiel closely and mimicking his movements. There had only been one almost incident, when Dean had reached to drink the bowl of lemon water instead of washing his hands with it. But a firm grip from Castiel under the table had prevented him from doing anything embarrassing. Even though they were just in a very small crowd, and both Meg and Gabriel knew about Dean’s upbringing, Castiel did not want to give them any opportunity to make fun of his alpha. _The_ alpha, Castiel corrected his own thoughts. Dean was not his. Not that Castiel wouldn’t want him to be.

The omega groaned. He really needed to put a stop on those daydreams.

“Is something wrong with your dessert, Cassie?”

Castiel looked up to see three pairs of eyes at him – one offended, one amused and one worried.

“No, of course not. I fear I am just too full to enjoy it properly.” Gabriel still looked miffed, so Castiel added: “But the dinner has really been delicious, uncle.”

The Lord of Loki seemed somewhat appeased and resumed eating his panna cotta while chatting with Dean about the cultivation of cocoa beans. Both men seemed to be absorbed in the subject. Huh. Castiel wondered at the familiarity in which the two men spoke. When had that happened?

“You know, I’ve never tried to trade with Michael, with him being a bag of dicks and all” – Castiel gasped at the term – “but with a new king in the making, I might reconsider. Maybe we could find an agreement in the future.”

Dean leaned forward with a wicked smile. “And there I thought you did not talk about business during dinner.”

Gabriel cackled out a laugh. “I always talk about business. The trick is that the others don’t notice.” He sobered up. “When you want something from noblemen, Dean-o, the negotiation table is just the half of it. You also have to make them feel comfortable. Compliment their food, and their omegas, have them drink too much and laugh too hard – trust me, they will be more ready to agree to your plans once you’ve made them enjoy themselves.”

Castiel frowned. He knew all that – he had lived in a palace all his life and learned a lot about diplomatic ways to dazzle potential allies. He was just surprised by the way Gabriel told Dean about it. But the rebel just nodded solemnly, like Gabriel had just told him an important secret.

When they finally stood up, Castiel felt like falling back down into the chair from sheer fatigue. The last days had been eventful, to put it mildly, and the food and the warmth only added to make him tired to the bone. More than anything, he looked forward to a night of sleep in a soft bed with fluffy cushions and a heavy blanket.

Outside, the two guards waited patiently, as was their job. Ambriel was nowhere to be seen, and Castiel was glad nobody had made her wait for him the whole time.

Meg must have seen his searching look for her because she said: “I will happily bring you to your quarters, Clarence.”

She smirked, and Castiel thought she tried to irritate him on purpose. She probably thought Castiel would have preferred if Dean had accompanied him to his room. And she was right. He felt sorry to part from Dean, but with the audience, there was really nothing else he could do.

At least Dean took his hand for a second. “Sleep well, Cas.” Then the alpha, followed by only one of the guards while the other stood put and waited for Gabriel, walked down the corridor in the other direction than Castiel and Meg were headed.

Meg drawled: “You know, he is not as bad as I thought, your Dean.”

Castiel bit his tongue so he would not argue with her that the alpha was not _his_ Dean. It would have been pointless, and he assumed that silence was harder for her to bear.

“I mean, his manners need some polishing, but he seems teachable. And he is willing to accept advice, especially from you. I’m impressed. He seems to be one of the good alphas.”

Castiel was still speechless when Meg left him at his door.

>>><<<

Castiel twisted and turned in his bed for an hour. Sleep just didn’t come, no matter how tired he was. And it had taken him only five minutes to figure out why.

He missed Dean.

All his life, he had slept alone, but now, Castiel missed the alpha next to him. It was especially frustrating, because strictly speaking he had only ever spent one night right next to the alpha. But Dean had been close for weeks. And Castiel remembered that he had already been calmed by the alpha’s presence on that first night in the rebel camp.

After another half hour of restless turning, Castiel decided he would just go to Dean. Once he had found a plausible pretext. Something other than _I can’t sleep without your scent around me anymore_.

His shoulder, Castiel thought. He would go down and ask Dean about the silver wound. That was reasonable. And it really was not that late. Hardly after ten – he had been so exhausted, he had fallen right into bed after dinner.

Castiel pulled a tunic over his light sleeping clothes and was glad that there were no soldiers or servants standing guard in the corridors. He walked down to Dean’s room with a loudly bumping heart but fairly certain that no one had seen him. Once he reached the door, he hesitated though. It only occurred to him now that he had clearly not thought this through.

What could he possibly say to get Dean into bed with him? Or rather: What could he say to just cuddle with Dean, and nothing else?

He remembered the last time they had been alone. They had kissed. More than just kissed, actually. And Castiel still didn’t know what it had meant to Dean.

But when he now knocked at Dean’s door, alone and at night-time, the alpha would probably think that Castiel wanted to pick up where they had left off. He hardly would expect Castiel to say: _I got so used to sleeping close to you – could we just cuddle for a bit?_ Castiel almost laughed. Dean would immediately look through his pretence of just worrying about Dean’s shoulder, and then he would either turn him down, or expect Castiel to share his bed with him in a way that did not only entail sleeping in said bed.

But would that be so bad?

Castiel felt goose bumps on his arms as he remembered the way Dean had licked at his throat. Remembered how he had felt when he had held him, completely naked, that night Castiel had been in heat.

Not necessarily, he decided. If Dean wanted him that way, Castiel would gladly participate.

One deep breath. And he knocked.

It did not take three seconds for the door to be opened by a grim looking Dean. The alpha wore only soft cotton pants, which gave Castiel the opportunity to stare at his naked chest once again. He remembered the first time he had seen it – in the lake, water running down the smooth skin – and felt a heat climbing from his chest to his face.

“Cas, thank the Shifter,” Dean mumbled. The alpha reached out and pulled Castiel inside by the omega’s arm, closing the door behind him. “How are you?”

“Me? I’m fine. How are you? I mean… I came here to ask if your wound…”

Castiel stopped as Dean raised an eyebrow. “The shoulder’s fine, like I told you before, Cas.”

There was a moment of silence and Castiel prayed he would soon come up with something to say. Who would have thought that seducing an alpha would be so hard? He had expected Dean would just kiss him again and no talking was needed. Or any other action from Castiel.

He looked around the room, noticing that it was smaller than his own, and said: “Are you content with your accommodations?”

Unfortunately, Castiel noticed too late that at the same time he had opened his mouth, Dean had stepped up closer to him. But at his words, Dean halted again, and Castiel cursed himself. Maybe the alpha would have kissed him now, but he had ruined it.

Dean scoffed. “Yeah, sure. Give me a real bed and I’m happy.”

There was another uncomfortable silence. Dean rubbed a hand over his forehead, and Castiel looked to the floor. Finally, Dean said “Look, Cas” just at the same time as Castiel had decided he would simply take one more step forward and press his mouth on Dean’s – it had worked last time, right?

So, he did not let Dean finish his sentence but put a hand over the back of Dean’s neck, rose to his tiptoes and simply brushed his lips over Dean’s. There was something hesitant in the action, like a question, but the alpha did not leave him hanging. Dean immediately reached an arm over Castiel’s waist and pulled him closer, kissing him deeply.

“I’m really glad you came, Cas,” Dean murmured when they had to catch some air. “I thought I would never be able to sleep without you.”

Castiel’s whole chest tingled at those words. It was nice, and astonishing, to know that the alpha felt the same as he did.

Dean peppered kisses on Castiel’s cheek and throat, even one on the tip of his nose that made the omega giggle, and then breathed in deeply at his neck.

Castiel let his hands wander over Dean’s chest. He enjoyed feeling the smoothness of the cool skin, enjoyed that he finally knew how it felt. But when his hands stroked further down over the sensitive part of Dean’s belly, the alpha grabbed his hands abruptly, stopping his movements. Castiel looked up, trying to find out if he had done something wrong, and Dean pressed his lips against his temple reassuringly.

“Not that I don’t enjoy the attention, but better not get anything too excited here, so that I don’t … pop something.”

Castiel frowned. But eventually he caught on. “You mean your knot. But isn’t this the point?” He tipped his head to the side, looking in the direction of Dean’s crotch. “To get your penis excited?”

Dean burst out a laugh. “Oh, Cas, you’re priceless.” Castiel’s frown just deepened. “But you’re also tired. By the end of dinner, I was afraid your head would fall into that white saucy stuff.” Dean was doing a good job of getting Castiel more irritated than excited right now. “And honestly, I’m tired too.” Castiel looked up and he finally could see it. Dean looked worn out. He had put on a brave face the whole day, like Castiel had, but the alpha was probably just as exhausted as Castiel. Up until this morning, they had been in life threatening danger. And then they had suffered Gabriel’s humour for a whole day while trying to make him see reason.

“Come. Let’s go to bed. We both need to sleep.” Dean had almost whispered and brushed his lips over Castiel’s forehead before he tugged him towards the bed.

Castiel did not have to be asked twice and he readily lay down next to Dean. The alpha simply snuggled up to him, threw an arm over Castiel’s waist and pulled the omega’s back tight to his chest. He mumbled: “Night, Cas.”

Needles to say, Castiel was very happy that he had found the courage to seek Dean out in the middle of the night.

“Just remind me to ask you something tomorrow morning when my mind is able to understand the answer.”

“Hm?” Castiel asked, almost asleep already, now that he was cocooned in the safe scent of _Dean_.

“Whatever made rich people _choose_ to eat frigging snails?”

Castiel fell asleep with a chuckle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Btw: If any of you like to eat escargot, I didn’t mean to make fun of you in any way. I tried it – and it is perfectly edible. (Not my favourite dish, though.) :-D   
> But Dean would definitely not be a fan. ;)


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone, I hope you enjoy this chapter! :-D  
> I really try to get back into a more reliable schedule, but it’s just really difficult at the moment.

THIRTEEN

“Dragon meat, now that’s what I call real food,” Dean said as he dissected the big haunch on his plate with effortless grace. He looked good in his green robe, like a nobleman, and his table manners were impeccable by now. Castiel liked to pride himself on that. 

“I’m glad, you like it so much, Dean-o. I thought only the best for the engagement party of my favourite nephew.”

Castiel smiled at his uncle. A warm feeling spread from his chest all over his body. Everything seemed perfect right now.

“And I am really happy you chose to stay in Loki,” Gabriel went on. “I can give you a high position here. Maybe make you Captain of the guard…”

“Hey!” Meg yelled. But she still smiled. Everyone smiled. Everyone seemed so happy for Castiel and Dean.

“All right, maybe not that,” Gabriel gave in with a chuckle. “But with a man like you…”

Castiel did not really listen anymore. He just smiled his happy smile. Things had turned out great. He could marry his perfect alpha, live with his uncle and----

Wait. Something was wrong with that picture.

Gabriel suddenly smashed his hand on the table. “I know. Dragons! You like dragon meat so much – why not become our first official dragon hunter?”

Dragons? Castiel frowned. He did not want Dean to leave and hunt dragons. That sounded like a dangerous profession. And how would _he_ fit into that scenario? He did not want to just sit around and wait for his husband to return from a dangerous hunt. They should rather both stay here in the castle, like right now, eating chocolates and sleeping in warm beds. Cosy soft beds with Dean as a blanket.

Gabriel knocked on the wooden table again for no apparent reason. And then again. And again.

Castiel’s frown deepened. He mumbled, suddenly so tired that the words seemed to have trouble leaving his mouth: “Oh stop it, Gabriel!”

“I sure hope this is _not_ your uncle,” Dean murmured into his ear, his voice as deep as the rumble of a big animal. “If it is, he will certainly have my head for real this time.”

Castiel opened his eyes and it took only a moment for him to realise where he was. In bed with Dean, in the alpha’s quarter. In Loki. And they were certainly not engaged.

But someone kept knocking on the door.

Dean rose while Castiel still struggled with his bleary sight, walked to the door and opened it only a fraction; and thus successfully blocking the view into the room with his own body.

“What?” Dean did not sound overly friendly. Maybe he had been ripped out of some happy dream as well.

“And good morning to you too, sunshine. Send Castiel out. You two need to be ready in an hour to meet Gabriel.” Castiel might not be able to see her, but he recognised Meg’s drawl. “I’ll have hot water sent up here, and a bath is already waiting for the prince upstairs.” A pause. “You’re lucky that our Lord of Loki is a late riser himself. Things might be more liberal here than in Niebo, but I doubt Gabriel would be too pleased seeing his nephew lying with a strange commoner.”

Grumbling, Castiel got up. This was not the time to tell Meg that they had just been sleeping. He was scared that Dean would start a fight. And he was embarrassed that Meg had found him here. Last night, his plan had been to sneak back to his room before dawn. Unfortunately, he had not expected he would sleep like a log for ten hours straight.

“She’s right, Dean. I really should get back to my room. And then we need to talk to Gabriel again.”

Castiel tried to look completely casual, not daring to glance at either Dean or Meg – like this was perfectly normal. But then, as he walked past the alpha, Dean brushed his lips over Castiel’s temple and murmured: “I’ll see you soon, Cas.”

Castiel was convinced he did not look at all nonchalant anymore as he felt his cheeks heat up and his stomach tingled from the excited dance of dozens of butterfly wings. Damn that alpha for making him react like that with one simple touch. Not to mention that low, seductive voice.

Meg followed Castiel up the stairs. Luckily, there did not seem anyone else around to watch him retreat to his own room in the not-so-early-anymore morning. Well, no one but Meg – and that was bad enough. Castiel pressed his lips together to keep himself from speaking; he did not want to give her the satisfaction of getting any kind of reaction out of him.

Castiel counted in his head: three, two, one ---

“You know, Clarence, I am surprised. I thought you were the type to sneak back into your own room before dawn,” came Meg’s expected remark. “I mean, you can do whatever you want, and I’ll be the last person to judge you, but I thought you would be a little more secretive with your lover. You are still a royal omega and you’ve always been so _proper_.”

“Dean is not my lover,” Castiel said, despite his determination to stay quiet the whole way. But Dean was not his lover. For one, they had not done any of the things he should have done with a lover, and at the same time, his relationship with Dean felt --- deeper. More substantial than a brief affair. Hell, he had just dreamed about being engaged to Dean. And it had doubtlessly been a very happy dream.

“Yeah, sure,” Meg replied, her voice dripped with sarcasm. “I mean, I could hear you two in my room three stairs down last night, so…”

“I’d be very surprised if you did,” Castiel replied dryly.

That got her attention. Meg halted, pulled Castiel around on his arm and looked into his face for a moment. “Really? You tell me you and that alpha have never --- done it?”

Castiel grinded his teeth to keep himself from answering. Whatever he could say, she would just make fun of him anyway. But keeping quiet obviously did not help him either. Meg still laughed.

“Well, I have definitely seen you two make out… But does that mean you only cuddle each other to sleep? Why? Is there something wrong with Dean-o? Can’t that manly alpha get it up?”

Castiel growled. “No, there is nothing _wrong_ with Dean.” Castiel was very sure from what he had felt just this morning before Dean had gotten up to open the door. “It’s just … complicated.”

And that was as true as it had been yesterday. Castiel was convinced that Dean felt something for him after last night. But that did not mean there was any kind of future for them. That dream where Castiel and Dean were about to be mated suddenly seemed far away.

“Huh,” Meg replied. Castiel was almost disappointed by her lack of response. But it did not take her long to regain speech.

They had arrived at the door when Meg rested a hand on his shoulder and said: “You know, sex can be fun. And don’t tell your uncle I said this, but maybe you should try it. Who knows what will happen in the future? You are not in heat, so there won’t be any unwanted consequences. And even if you will someday marry a prince who expects you to be a virgin – there is no way for them to know. All that stupid shit they tell omegas about how alphas will immediately know if they are untouched – that’s just not true.” She licked her lips. “Right now, you have an alpha at your side who clearly adores you. That’s as good as it can get for trying it out.” And just as Castiel started to doubt if this considerate person in front of him was actually the Meg Masters he remembered from his childhood, she added: “And, you know, it’s really good to relieve some stress after all you’ve been through. And all that eye-sex you two already have must get pretty frustrating…”

“Thank you for your advice,” Castiel said and closed the door in Meg’s face.

He could practically hear her smirk from the other side.

>>><<<

Castiel could immediately feel that Gabriel’s stance had changed from the day before. Right after breakfast the short alpha turned to Dean and fired questions at him in rapid speed.

How many rebels were there again?

Did most of the general public support them?

Who were their noble allies?

Why did Ellen not want to become queen?

How would this kingless future look like?

They had already talked about most of those points yesterday. They would not have tried to convince Gabriel to act like king for the next few years without telling him all the details about their plans to have the people govern themselves in the future, as much as to show him they had hardly any other choice for an unchallenged successor of Michael. Or their chances in battle.

Three hours after Gabriel had started his questioning, Castiel felt reluctantly optimistic. The lord of Loki had obviously given their cause much thought overnight. And if he did not want to help them, he would have tried to divert them from the subject rather than plunge right into it.

He would support them, one way or another.

So, Castiel was not surprised when his uncle finally said: “All right, I will help you. I already have ordered my staff to pack up a few things so we can leave tomorrow.”

“What?” Dean said, not able to hide his astonishment. “But---"

“Uncle Gabriel, this is wonderful,” Castiel interrupted before Dean could say anything that would make Gabriel reconsider his decision. “Thank you so much.”

“Hear me out before you thank me, kid. I will come with you, and I will bring five dozen soldiers with me. More would look like I plan an attack, and we can’t risk that. We should have no problems on the journey – since I am invited to Mickey’s feast and everyone knows I don’t pack lightly. We can hide half of the soldiers as maids and servants so it doesn’t look too suspicious. I know this is not high in numbers, but my guard is well trained, unlike most of the rebels, and they will have access to the palace without using force.” He looked at Dean, then Castiel. “I will help you in the fight against my own brother and nephew.” His tone was so sombre that Castiel had no doubt this decision had not come lightly to Gabriel. As much as he grouched about them, it was still hard for him to fight against his own family. “I will help you negotiate with the nobility and act as an intermediary or just back up your plans about the future, whatever you’ll need me to do.” Castiel felt light. It had been the right decision to come here. Gabriel would help them rebuild Niebo. But then Gabriel held up his hand like he wanted to caution Castiel’s blooming hope. “But I will not be your interim king.”

Castiel opened his mouth to argue, but Gabriel shook his head. “No, Cassie. I will not change my mind about that. I am happy here. And, honestly, I would make a horrible king. You know that. It takes discipline and --- you know, that other thing, what is it? --- responsibility! I am not cut out for that kind of life. Making sure that everyone is safe and has enough to eat and leading an army and…”

“But you do that here!” Castiel argued. “You care for your people. And you are a good leader for them.”

“Sure. But Loki is small. Hardly more than a city. I have competent advisors who look after all those things I am not interested in. Like Meg oversees the soldiers, or Kali knows everything about legal matters. But rebuilding Niebo? That takes leaders who are prepared to overlook everything themselves, no matter how good your Council is. Leaders who care. It’s just too much work.” Castiel opened his mouth again, but Gabriel added: “Sorry, Castiel. But this is not negotiable. I will come with you. I will help you as much as I can. But after a few weeks, maybe months, when Niebo is in good hands, I will return home.”

“And whose hands should those be?” Dean asked. He seemed disappointed, more so than Castiel.

“Well, I got an idea. But I still need to mull it over a little.” Castiel was not sure if those strange remark was just intended to make him appear all-knowing while in truth, he had no solution at all. “For now, we need to get ready to leave. It will take about ten carriages and a lot of horses. Hopefully, we will be ready by tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “Yes. I thought time was of the essence.”

“Of course. I am just surprised you can get going so fast.” Castiel bit his lips at his own teasing insult, but Gabriel did not seem offended.

“Like I said, I was invited to Michael’s celebration. I am sure he does not expect me to actually attend, but I had already planned to take the opportunity of riling him up a bit. Can’t have it that he gets to be too happy on his big day.” Gabriel waggled his eyebrows.

“Oh, so you take pleasure from riling your brother up, but not from taking responsibility for your people?” Dean sounded as grim as he looked.

“We cannot all be such righteous men like you or my nephew, Dean-o. Take what help I offer, or leave it.” He stood abruptly. “Now, why don’t you two help me prepare for my leave?”

“Help you? With what?”

“Oh, I need to sign some letters and leave orders for the time I am gone. I have to talk to my advisors. I think I will leave most affairs in the hands of Kali. I just hope she will not take over the city while I’m gone. But I am sure I would find refuge in Niebo then, right?”

“Of course you would, uncle. As the rightful king.”

“Cheeky, Cassie. You really have changed. I like it.”

>>><<<

They spent the whole day _helping_ Gabriel – and Castiel sometimes thought it was just weird. Gabriel explained so much, especially towards Dean. Now, Castiel knew that Gabriel liked the sound of his own voice. But the topics were oddly serious. He talked about different noble houses and ally bonds, about trading agreements and the importance of diplomacy. And he regularly addressed a question towards Castiel. So much so that the omega thought he was being tested or something. He had suffered similar conversations with his governance who had occasionally checked if Castiel remembered everything he had been taught. Thankfully, those interrogations had happened far less often to him than Hannah – but maybe that was because he hardly ever forgot anything while Hannah had never paid much attention to how to protrude a royal household – a fact she now sometimes regretted, as she had admitted to Castiel occasionally.

Every time Castiel thought about his cousin, he sent a prayer to the Shifter, thanking her for keeping Hannah out of harm’s way. She was pregnant and would not join the celebration for Michael’s birthday with her husband Gadreel. So Castiel did not need to worry about her.

As weird as Castiel thought Gabriel’s behaviour was, he was happy to be busy. They had come here to ask Gabriel for help, and now that he had agreed, the battle suddenly loomed over them with a new immediacy.

At night, they had dinner again, but the atmosphere was subdued. Castiel imagined that he was not the only one who thought about how they would travel towards a war the next day. And as soon as the last dish was finished – it had been a humble meal of three courses – everyone returned to their rooms, even Gabriel, because they wanted to leave early in the morning.

This time, Castiel did not wait as long as last night until he made his way to Dean’s quarters.

Dean opened the door so quickly after Castiel had knocked that it seemed like the alpha had already waited for him. Without one word, Castiel walked right up to him and kissed the alpha, not innocent and gentle this time, but urgent.

He had made up his mind.

They would be on the move the next few days, with dozens of people around them. There would probably be no chance for him and Dean to even only snuggle up during the night. Would certainly be no chance to do anything more.

But tonight, they had the privacy of a silent room and the luxury of a soft bed.

Suddenly, Castiel’s thoughts turned even darker, almost desperate. Who knew what would come after their journey? Maybe he and Dean would not survive the next two weeks. Or maybe Castiel would be married off for political reasons after all. Like Meg had said, he was still a royal omega.

To make sure that Dean understood he was not here for a cuddle like last time, he almost immediately started tugging at the alpha’s clothes.

“Cas?” Dean grabbed his hands, like he had done the night before.

Castiel gazed up at Dean. “I want you, Dean. And I want you tonight.” He noticed himself that this had not sounded like a passionate declaration, but more like an order. Dean let go of his hands and rested his own on each side of Castiel’s face.

“You sure about that?”

“I am very sure.”

Dean still seemed hesitant, and Castiel just pulled at his tunic again to show the alpha how serious he was.

“Do you want me, Dean?”

“You know I do,” Dean replied like this was in fact common knowledge, and Castiel felt like he had somehow not gotten the letter. But he did not focus on the way his chest warmed at the alpha’s words.

“Then what is the problem?”

“You’re a prince, Cas. I’ve been told that this is a big step for you and that you would probably be thrown out of your noble circles if they knew that --- well, that we did----”

“Dean. I am hardly a prince anymore. And if you are worried about my reputation – I could not possibly be more compromised than I already am. We’ve been together for weeks. People will not care what really happened. It’s bad enough that we were alone.”

Dean looked shocked. Clearly, he must have known this before, but he probably had never given it much thought. But Castiel’s reputation had been ruined the day Gordon had abducted him. Nothing could make it worse. Unless they found a way in the future to explain his absence from Michael’s court. Maybe a story about how Castiel had stayed with Gabriel the whole time – so he was still able to engage in a marriage to help Niebo. But Castiel did not want to think about that possibility. If anything, he wanted to believe that after the battle, after peace was restored and the country in capable hands, he and Dean would retire in some secluded village. Surrounded by three lively kids. Happy together. It sounded too good to ever come true.

And there was the desperation again. Castiel felt like this, tonight, might be their only chance.

“Dean. Please.”

Like it had been some magic word, Dean suddenly pulled Castiel towards him again and kissed him senseless. Castiel felt Dean’s hands everywhere, and it was just wonderful, making all his dark thoughts fly away.

Dean pulled his tunic over his head when Castiel started tugging at it again. Castiel did the same with his own and felt strangely humbled when Dean’s eyes raked over his naked torso. The alpha stroked a thumb over Castiel’s nipple and then kissed him again. Next, he kissed said nipple and stroked a thumb over its twin.

Castiel let out a surprised gasp. This felt surprisingly good. Somehow Dean managed to slowly lead Castiel towards the bed while he was still mouthing at his chest, and Castiel felt the wooden frame against his knees. Dean pushed a little, until Castiel fell onto the mattress.

Dean stood and looked down at him for a long moment before he crawled on top of Castiel. And the omega thought he would never forget that look on the alpha’s face. He remembered how he thought Meg must have exaggerated when she had talked about Dean’s adoration for him – but he had to admit there was something close to reverence on Dean’s face right now – and Castiel suddenly felt special, and _seen_. Like no one else had ever seen him before – and not because he had hardly any clothes on.

They lay next to each other for a long time, kissing and stroking and nibbling, exploring each other with their lips and tongues and hands. Sometimes either of them moaned or gasped or even chuckled. Castiel once let out a surprised giggle.

Everything that Dean did to him, Castiel tried with the alpha in return. It was quite fascinating. Dean did not seem as ecstatic as Castiel was when he had his nipples licked, but the alpha obviously enjoyed it when Castiel pulled lightly at his hair. And when Castiel blew warm air over his stomach, it left a trail of goose bumps.

Castiel wished he could spend an eternity figuring out what Dean liked. He also wished he could spend an eternity figuring out what he himself liked. He had known the basics of intercourse for a long time, thanks to his sympathetic governess, but he had never imagined some alpha kissing his belly in that situation. Had never imagined how it would make his toes curl and his hole slick.

The air was already heavy with the scent of arousal by the time Castiel’s hand wandered to Dean’s waistband. He wanted to see all of the alpha. Still, he hesitated. He had never undressed anyone before, and as much as he believed that Dean would not chastise him for doing anything wrong – he _was_ fairly innocent and everything he did needed some courage.

In the end, Dean helped him by pulling his pants down himself.

Dean was not the first alpha Castiel had seen naked, as Hannah had made him sneak up on washing soldiers in the past; it was not even the first time he saw _Dean_ naked – although the last time, when Castiel had been in heat and Dean the bear had just saved him, he had made sure not to stare.

But now, for the first time, Castiel was allowed to look.

And Castiel sat back on his heels, determined to drink everything in. Dean was indeed beautiful. And that hardness between his legs made Castiel even more aroused just as much as it made him more nervous. Dean’s cock was quite bigger than Castiel’s and suddenly an old fear came back.

“I don’t think this will fit,” he said out loud, unintended.

Dean smiled – at least he had the decency not to outright laugh at him. “It’ll fit, Cas. Trust me.”

Castiel nodded, but still kept staring at Dean’s crotch. The alpha then sat up and captured his lips again. After a moment he started kneading Castiel’s still clothed backside, until the omega moaned softly and had forgotten about his fears for now.

He pushed Dean back and got rid of his own pants, wanting nothing more than have Dean’s hands on his skin – and it did feel so much better when Dean’s hands wandered over his undressed thighs. He hardly noticed when the alpha pushed him back down on the bed, too distracted by the overload of sensations Dean sparked throughout his body. Dean was lying on top of him, hands everywhere, teeth on Castiel’s neck and the omega could do nothing but hold onto Dean’s shoulders while their cocks brushed against each other in a wonderful teasing feeling. It was too much and not enough.

Finally, Castiel breathed out: “I want you, Dean. Now.”

He pushed Dean back a little and made to turn around on all fours like he had seen on pictures. But Dean stopped him.

“No, Cas. I want you like this.”

“But… I am supposed to...present to you.”

Dean moaned. “Gods, Cas. I really, really would like that too. But for your first time, I’d rather see your face. I want to be able to look at you while we both come apart.” Dean kissed him and Castiel could not argue with that.

He was still unsure how it all would work out, but Dean lifted his legs over his shoulder in a way that had Castiel easily raise his bottom from the bed.

And then Dean’s fingers were not so much kneading his cheeks anymore but two fingers slowly wandered to Castiel’s hole, dipping in – and Castiel forgot to think altogether.

There was only Dean and that wonderful feeling of his searching hands. Castiel could feel his own slick running down his thighs, could feel how he loosened up until the idea of Dean’s thick cock was not as intimidating anymore.

“Dean, now. Please.”

And finally, Dean filled him with his member. He drew in slowly, watching Castiel’s face like he was looking for any sign of discomfort. And when he was finally fully in, with Castiel feeling like he was completely full, he waited for an eternity until Castiel gave a tiny nod.

Dean drew in and out slowly and deliberately, making Castiel moan and gasp in turn. After a while, he pushed against a spot inside him that had Castiel cry out with sudden pleasure. He knew this spot from when he had touched himself during his heats, but it felt completely different, and so much better, when someone else touched him there. After a while, Castiel felt his eyes scrunch up, he could not help it as something built inside him, and when Dean then grabbed his cock between their bodies, it was only a few seconds until his hands clawed at Dean’s shoulders, his back rose from the bed – and something inside Castiel exploded. Leaving him out of breath and rumbling with satisfaction.

His view still blurry and his hands and legs oddly numb, but in a good way, Castiel noticed Dean was still moving inside of him. And when he clenched his hole, just to see what happened, Dean let out a long groan and a curse – before he sagged down on top of Castiel. He pulled out of the omega immediately, threw his arm around his waist and turned them onto their sides so he would not crush Castiel with his own body weight.

Castiel hummed in delight, feeling Dean’s body so close to his, both men practically glued together. He drank in Dean’s scent which seemed to be even more heavenly than usual. Then he moved his leg a little, brushing his thigh over Dean’s cock – which was still half hard.

Castiel frowned. And Dean’s scent immediately added a worried undertone. The alpha must have watched him closely.

“Hey, Cas. What’s up?” Dean pulled back a little. “Have I hurt you?”

Castiel shook his head. “No, I am good. Very well, actually.” Probably a bit sore in the morning.

“Then what’s the matter?”

“You’re still…” Castiel stopped. He was usually very straightforward, but sometimes he simply lacked the words. And no one had ever told him how to converse with an alpha about intercourse. “You did not knot me.”

Dean let out a relieved chuckle. “Very observant of you.”

“But you’re an alpha. And I am an omega.”

“Not only a pretty face, but also smart. I knew there’s a reason I like you so much,” Dean kept teasing. But when he noticed Castiel’s uncertain frown, he sighed and sobered up. “Look, Cas, I did not knot you because we have not talked about this before. And it has been your first time. No use to rush all experiences into one night. And we alphas do not actually need to pop a knot to feel good.”

“But… was it still good for you?”

Dean pulled Castiel close again and scratched his teeth over his neck. “No, Cas, it was not _good_.” He rolled onto his back, pulling Castiel with him until the omega’s head rested on his chest, their legs intertwined and their arms wrapped tightly around each other. “It was fucking amazing.”

“Oh,” Castiel replied, not knowing what else to say.

But when he finally closed his eyes, drowsy and content, he felt wickedly smug.

His Other cackled in agreement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you know this feeling when you watch a show or read a book now – and whenever someone shakes hands or something like that you want to yell at them to step back? When I just re-read this chapter and Meg clapped Castiel on the shoulder, I almost changed that moment because they did not keep their six feet apart. Those are strange times right now. Stay safe you all!  
> ( But Dean and Cas certainly did not social distance at the end of that chapter. ;-) )
> 
> Additional Note December 2020: I am so sorry that I have not continued with this fic in so long. I believe many of us did not have the best year in one aspect or another, and for me --- well, this story seems too exhausting and time-consuming right now. I cannot really explain why, but I rather stick to short and fluffy fics for the moment (where I do not pressure myself to keep writing even when I am not in the mood). I do hope (and intend) to return to this story one day, but I fear I cannot tell you, when it will be. Thank you for reading so far and maybe will see each other on other stories in the meantime. <3

**Author's Note:**

> English is not my first language so please forgive me my mistakes.
> 
> Comments and kudos always make me happy. 
> 
> Stay safe!


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